Overuse Injury and Deep Tissue Laser Therapy

By Dr. Caldwell and Anthony Meador

There are two phenomena currently taking place in the United States. First, all the baby boomers will be 65 years of age by the year 2030. Second, there is currently a push by our medical community to become more active to prevent multiple disease processes such as obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes to name a few. Many organizations have developed programs to meet the need to increase activity to prevent disease and improve quality of life. Leisure World has a dedicated fitness facility that supports multiple programs at various intensity levels to encourage physical activity in the over 55 community. Unfortunately, the downside to increasing physical activity in the 55 and older community is that wear and tear on systems increases and leads to wearing of parts. Just like your car, over time you need to rotate the tires, flush the coolant system, lube the chassis, and replace the fuel filter and other parts. With us the problem is circulation, circulation is the life force. Our circulatory system transports nutrients and oxygen to cells, aids in tissue repair, and removes waste products that are generated through daily living. Circulation decreases as we age and as a result, it becomes harder to maintain body systems and repair injuries.

70 to 85 percent of injuries that occur in 55 and older individuals/ athletes are due to overuse and can lead to degenerative changes due to the interference of the blood flow to the site of injury. The most prevalent sites of overuse injuries are knees, feet, shoulders, ankles, lumbosacral spine, elbows, hips, neck, wrist, and hands. The common injury is tendinitis, followed by knee pain, muscle strain and sprain, degenerative disk disease, and arthritis to name a few. So how does an overuse injury occur? These injuries are caused by repetitive microtrauma which results in acute or chronic inflammation and degeneration of the tissue. An injury that is not resolved will lead to tissue breakdown over time. This tissue damage is primarily due to the disruption in the blood supply at the site. So, what are the indicators of an overuse injury? They are redness, swelling, heat, pain, fatigue, weakness, and loss of function or range of motion. Many of us deal with this type of injury by telling ourselves it will resolve with a tincture of time, a drop of magical intervention, and recurrent use of Tylenol or Advil. Also, we put faith in how our friends treated their injuries. As we discussed earlier, time is the problem. The longer an injury persists the longer it takes to heal. The longer the blood flow remains disrupted the more damage occurs resulting in dysfunction of the injured tissue or system, chronic pain, and the possible need for surgical repair or replacement.

The next question is how do you treat an overuse injury? Initial treatment should include the following principles to decrease pain, increase circulation, and restore function. Currently, medical literature instructs us to protect the site from further injury, apply ice in the first 24 to 48 hours, rest, and elevation. Also, additional treatment may include medication to reduce pain and inflammation, initiate physical therapy to restore function, and surgically evaluate if the function is not able to be restored. Remember we discussed restoring blood flow to the injured site is key to resolving the injury. If the small vessel circulation is not restored the effectiveness of the traditional modalities are limited. This is where deep tissue laser therapy can be used to improve microvascular circulation and reduce the time required for the body to heal.

Deep Tissue Laser Therapy initiates pain control at the site of injury, reduces inflammation, and increases cellular energy and vascular dilation. These activities result in decreasing pain, initiating tissue repair, and removing cellular debris related to injury and function. The advantages to deep tissue laser therapy are, therapy is noninvasive, painless, and treatments are on average 4 to 8 minutes depending on the laser used and site treated. If surgery is required laser therapy will decrease healing time post-surgery. Laser therapy for decreasing pain and improving circulation has been studied since 1967 and has shown to be very effective. Consider and discuss Deep Tissue Laser Therapy with your Medical Provider as a treatment modality if you’re dealing with acute or chronic discomfort due to an overuse injury.