Learn how Class IV laser therapy works, what photobiomodulation does inside your cells, and how laser therapy may help reduce pain and support recovery.
What Is Class IV Laser Therapy?
If you have been dealing with joint pain, muscle pain, an old injury, arthritis, or another painful condition, you may have heard about Class IV laser therapy.
But what exactly is it—and how can shining light on an injured area possibly make a difference?
At Simply Health Chiropractic in Spring Green, Wisconsin, we use an Aspen Class IV laser as one of the tools available to help patients manage pain, decrease inflammation, improve local circulation, and support the body’s natural recovery process.
Class IV laser therapy is a form of photobiomodulation, often abbreviated PBM. Photobiomodulation simply means using specific wavelengths of light to influence biological activity within the body’s tissues.
Unlike surgical lasers, therapeutic Class IV laser therapy is not intended to cut, burn, or remove tissue. Instead, carefully selected wavelengths of red and near-infrared light are delivered into the treatment area.
Aspen describes this light energy as interacting with cellular processes, including mitochondrial activity and ATP production, while also influencing circulation and inflammatory processes.
Think of ATP as Energy for Your Cells
One of the easiest ways to understand laser therapy is to think about what happens when your body is trying to recover from an injury.
Your cells need energy to do their jobs.
That energy is largely supplied through a molecule called ATP, or adenosine triphosphate.
The mitochondria inside your cells help produce ATP. You may remember hearing that mitochondria are the “powerhouses of the cell” in biology class.
Photobiomodulation can influence mitochondrial activity and cellular energy production. Instead of simply masking the sensation of pain, laser therapy is intended to affect biological processes occurring within the tissues being treated.
That does not mean that a laser magically repairs an arthritic joint, reverses degeneration, or makes a herniated disc disappear.
Rather, the goal is to create an environment that may help irritated or injured tissues function and recover more effectively.
What Can Class IV Laser Therapy Do?
Depending on the condition being treated, therapeutic laser may be used to help:
- decrease pain
- reduce inflammation
- improve local circulation
- support tissue recovery
- decrease muscle soreness or tightness
- improve movement and function
Research involving high-intensity laser therapy for musculoskeletal pain has found potential benefits for pain and function, although outcomes and the strength of evidence vary depending on the condition and treatment protocol.
That variation is important.
Laser therapy is not a one-size-fits-all treatment, and not every person with the same diagnosis will respond exactly the same way.
Why Use a Class IV Laser?
The “Class IV” designation refers primarily to the laser’s power and safety classification.
Higher-powered therapeutic lasers can deliver a therapeutic dose of light energy into deeper tissues efficiently, which can be useful when treating areas such as the hip, knee, shoulder, low back, or larger muscle groups.
Because Class IV lasers are powerful medical devices, proper technique and safety procedures are important. Protective eyewear is used during treatment because direct or reflected exposure to Class IV laser light can pose an eye hazard if the equipment is improperly used.
What Conditions Can Laser Therapy Be Used For?
Patients often seek laser therapy because they are dealing with pain or dysfunction associated with conditions such as arthritis, tendon injuries, muscle strains, back pain, neck pain, sciatica, shoulder pain, knee pain, plantar fasciitis, sports injuries, and other musculoskeletal problems.
The goal is typically not to “erase” the underlying diagnosis.
For example, laser therapy does not remove arthritis from a knee.
However, if inflammation, irritated soft tissues, muscle guarding, and pain are contributing to how that knee feels and functions, addressing those factors may make an important difference in someone’s daily life.
Sometimes the most meaningful improvement isn’t a change on an X-ray.
It is being able to walk farther, climb stairs more comfortably, sleep without constantly changing positions, get through a workday with less pain, or get back to an activity you have been avoiding.
Laser Therapy and Chiropractic Care
At Simply Health Chiropractic, Class IV laser therapy may be used by itself or as part of a larger treatment plan.
Depending on what is causing your symptoms, your plan may include chiropractic adjustments, laser therapy, spinal decompression therapy, exercises, mobility recommendations, or other conservative approaches.
The key is determining why you are hurting in the first place.
Two people may both come into our Spring Green chiropractic office complaining of knee pain, but one may have osteoarthritis while another has a tendon problem or recent sports injury. Their treatment plans should not automatically be identical.
Looking for Class IV Laser Therapy in Spring Green, Wisconsin?
If pain has been keeping you from moving comfortably or doing the things you enjoy, Class IV laser therapy may be worth considering.
At Simply Health Chiropractic, we serve patients throughout the River Valley community, including Spring Green, Plain, Lone Rock, Arena, and surrounding southwestern Wisconsin communities.
Our goal is not simply to chase symptoms. We want to understand what is contributing to your pain and determine which conservative treatment options make the most sense for you.