THE USE OF LASER IN SPORTS MEDICINE IS WIDESPREAD! Football, Handball, Ice Hockey, Volleyball, Basketball, Skiing, Cycling, Triathlon, etc...
INTRODUCTION:
Top level sportsmen/women often suffer from injuries, and it is vital that the injuries heal quickly, so that the individual can resume training. Sports injuries have the "advantage" that the person often knows when the injury occured and where it is situated. The injured sports person also have experience of how long it takes for a particular injury to heal.
It is therefore easy to "calibrate" the effect of the laser. A rule of thumb is that a sports injury heals almost twice as fast if the healing process is stimulated by laser therapy (non-systemic = local and systemic = blood irradiation).
In many sports in Germany (including skiing teams) and in the Football Bundesliga LLLT/Photo Laser Therapy is used in several teams, including
A common problem is that the subjective discomfort in the injuredf area soon disappears and the individual wants to return to training immediately. It is essential that the injured area be allowed to rest and that training be resumed gradually. Treatment should not be interrupted just because pain is gone ... this is only the first sign of recovery.
LLLT/Photo Laser Medicine on chronic pain conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis can increase the pain level initially. This reaction is absent when treating acute injuries.
BENEFITS OF PHOTO LASER MEDICINE/LLLT IN SPORTS MEDICINE:
Low level laser therapy (LLLT)/Photo Laser Medicine is approved by medical health authorities all over the world and studies have been well documented for wound healing, physical therapy, nerve regeneration and pain management.
The benefits for the for sportsman/woman:
• Increases overall circulation as well as micro circulation to hypoxic areas (trigger points)
• Increases oxygenation utilization
• Increases pro-collagen synthesis
• Increases immunological response
• Stimulates DNA replication and cell division accelerating healing
• Stimulates activity of nerve cells
• Increases lymphatic movement and drainage
• Stimulates proper organ function
• Increases permeability of cell membranes for better nutrient/waste exchange
• Increases mitochondria production of ATP (energy made in the cell) which help muscles to relax
• Decreases inflammation
• Decreases pain & muscle spasms
Effect of 830 nm low-level laser therapy in exercise-induced skeletal muscle fatigue in humans
(1) Laboratory of Human Movement (LMH), University of Caxias do Sul (UCS), Rua Francisco Getúlio Vargas, 1130, Caxias do Sul, 95070-560, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
(2) Sports Medicine Institute (IME), University of Caxias do Sul (UCS), Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil
(3) Section for Physiotherapy Science, Institute of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
(4) Laboratory of Pharmacology and Phototherapy of Inflammation, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
(5) Faculty of Physiotherapy, University of Caxias do Sul (UCS), Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil
(6) Faculty of Physical Education, University of Caxias do Sul (UCS), Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil
(7) Section for Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
(8) Bergen University College, Institute for Physical Therapy, Bergen, Norway
Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the effect of 830 nm low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on skeletal muscle fatigue. Ten healthy male professional volleyball players entered a crossover randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial. Active LLLT (830 nm wavelength, 100 mW output, spot size 0.0028 cm2, 200 s total irradiation time) or an identical placebo LLLT was delivered to four points on the biceps humeri muscle immediately before exercises. All subjects performed voluntary biceps humeri contractions with a load of 75% of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) force until exhaustion. After active LLLT the mean number of repetitions was significantly higher than after placebo irradiation [mean difference 4.5, standard deviation (SD) ± 6.0, P = 0.042], the blood lactate levels increased after exercises, but there was no significant difference between the treatments. We concluded that 830 nm LLLT can delay the onset of skeletal muscle fatigue in high-intensity exercises, in spite of increased blood lactate levels.
LASER BLOOD IRRADITION (SYSTEMIC LASER THERAPY) - AN IMPORTANT TOOL IN SPORTS MEDICINE:
Studies (Mittermayr et al, Simonian et al, Raggi and Vallesi, Makihara et al, Wasik et al) have shown, that blood laser irradiation is effective in sports medicine.
We work with red and blue light to irradiate the blood.
Laser Blood Irradiation (first intravenous, now we use it non-invasive transdermal) is well known for more than 20 years and was originally developed in Russia and Hungary. It was used for a lot of different diseases like rheumatic, cardiovascular, pulmonary and neurological indications.
It has shown, that the laser irradiation leads to long lasting effects on muscular strength and endurance in different sport activities.
It is hypothesized that erythrocytes will be activated with a higher capacity of oxygen transport. Furthermore it is assumed that the long lasting effect of 3 - 4 months is correlated with the mean survival time of the red blood cells.
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