How Our MLS Laser Is Reducing Arthritis Pain

Posted 5 Sep '22

Almost four million Australians are currently living with arthritis. That’s one in six people - and for many of these people, arthritis makes performing daily movements very uncomfortable and painful - even simple actions like getting up from a chair or bed, walking down the stairs, or even taking the dog for a walk around the block. 

While some types of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or gout may be somewhat medically managed if medications are taken early and appropriately to reduce the incidence of the arthritic flares, the same can’t be said for osteoarthritis which causes painful and restrictive joint degeneration. Given that osteoarthritis is more common in older adults who also are prone to age-related declines in mobility and function, this can make it a serious threat to their livelihood and well-being.

With the joint changes sustained in osteoarthritis being irreversible and with limited options to improve a person’s pain levels, our team of Brisbane podiatrists have stepped up to be one of the few clinics in Queensland to offer a modern way to manage arthritic pain: using the renown MLS laser.

What Is The MLS Laser?

With MLS being an abbreviation for “Multiwave Locked System”, the two wavelengths of light emitted from this innovative laser penetrate deeply and painlessly to the joints, tissues and cells beneath. This eases both chronic and acute pain, accelerates healing, reduces inflammation, and promotes optimal cell function - allowing the body to do what it does best: heal. This makes it perfect for arthritic pain, both for osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis such as gout and RA.

How Does The MLS Laser Help Arthritis?

The MLS laser works on the body in a range of ways that is beneficial to reducing arthritis pain and improving a person’s mobility and movement in the affected joints. This includes:

• Reducing inflammation: when laser is applied to an area, it activates the lymphatic drainage system which drains swollen areas, reducing the swelling. It also improves the energy production in the joint cells, which lowers inflammation and normalises cell function. As a result, there is more mobility in the joint for a longer period.

• Reducing pain: laser therapy also has a beneficial effect on the nerve cells, blocking the pathway by which pain messages are sent from the joint to the brain and reducing nerve sensitivity. Additionally, as inflammation is a big cause of pain, pain is also reduced from this aspect. Finally, the laser stimulates the production of pain-killing chemicals in the body such as endorphins and enkephalin from the brain and adrenal gland.

• Accelerates tissue repair: photons of light from the laser penetrates deeply into the tissue to increase the energy available to the cells. This allows the cells to take on nutrients faster and eliminate waste products. This optimises their function and so accelerates cellular reproduction, growth and repair. While the existing damage sustained in osteoarthritis is irreversible, laser can help slow the progression of further damage to keep you as comfortable as possible for as long as possible.

• Improved joint mobility: the laser significantly increases the formation of new capillaries in damaged tissue, which aside from assisting healing, the improved blood flow may also reduce stiffness and promote improved mobility in the affected joints. 

• Better surgical outcomes: for those undertaking surgery for arthritic joints, the laser can help improve your healing time while reducing the formation of scar tissue. It also has a direct effect on immune cells to help support you after your procedure.
  

The Evidence For MLS Laser And Arthritis

The MLS laser has a significant body of evidence behind its use for a range of arthritic conditions in various areas of the body:

• MLS laser combined with exercises significantly reduced pain and improved function in those with knee arthritis combined with a placebo laser plus exercises.

• MLS laser was included in part of a physiotherapy rehabilitation program for knee osteoarthritis of varying severities: mild, moderate and severe. After treatment, all groups showed significant improvements in pain intensity, knee range of motions, isometric quadriceps strength, and knee function.

• Children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis were treated with the laser to see the longevity of the results. Their pain levels decreased significantly after the treatment (compared to a placebo group) and were still improved at the 12-week follow-up. Their gait parameters also significantly improved  both after 4 weeks of treatment and still after 12 weeks compared to the placebo group.

• The MLS laser was compared with low-frequency magnetic field therapy on hand function and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The MLS laser group was the only group that achieved a reduction in pain. A decrease in the number of swollen joints and improvement of hand function, grip strength and quality of life (based on the Health Assessment Questionnaire) were also observed, more so in the MLS laser therapy group.

• Laser therapy was compared with low frequency transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) as part of physiotherapy care for knee osteoarthritis. There was a significant pain reduction in both groups, with the improvement being significantly higher in the laser therapy group.

• Participants with hand osteoarthritis had an improvement in 83% of participants that was mostly maintained at their follow-ups when using MLS laser as part of the treatment protocol.

• Participants with shoulder pain had a reduction in shoulder pain and disability using laser therapy.
  

Can MLS Laser Help You Reduce Your Pain From Arthritis?

The MLS laser is a proven, safe and painless treatment option for the troublesome, limiting and potentially very painful problem of arthritis. It requires no surgery, medications or needles, with no reported risk of adverse events. As such, we believe it is perfectly positioned to help our patients with their arthritic joints and the associated pain and swelling - which is why we invested in it. 

We welcome you to come in for a consultation to learn all the ways that we can improve your comfort on your feet, reduce your pain, and improve your mobility and quality of life - and the role that the MLS laser may be able to play in your care.

Book your appointment with our podiatry team online here or call us on (07) 3356 3579.