USEFULNESS (overall rating): 4/5

Also referred to as Photobiomodulation, or “cold laser”, this therapy has been around for more than 40 years. Laser therapy uses light, which is absorbed by tissues to produce cellular changes, which include increases in the production of cellular energy, among other effects. Low-Level Laser Therapy is believed to enhance healing, reduce pain and edema, reduce inflammation, and increases circulation. LLLT does not produce its effects through heat.
LLLT is used on a variety of conditions, from shoulder and elbow injuries to neck and back pain, plantar fasciitis, knee pain and other musculoskeletal conditions. Recently national guidelines, such as the Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) published by the Work Loss Data Institute, changed their opinion from “not recommended” to “recommended” for Lateral Epicondyle Tendinopathy (LET). If LET is thought to be the result of repetitive microtears, LLLT is thought to stimulate healing of those microtears by increasing circulation, reducing inflammatory chemicals and encouraging the growth of collagen, which fills in the microtears.