What is MLS Laser Therapy?

All pain in the body is caused by some form of nerve impingement that results from inflammation caused by an injury or illness. According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, clinical studies have shown that over 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, which translates to roughly one in every three Americans living with pain. For people suffering from chronic pain, new laser therapy is showing promising results in pain management.

MLS, standing for multiwave locked system, delivers a multiple spectrum laser that reaches deep into tissues to reduce inflammation and pain. MLS laser therapy is an FDA-approved technology that promotes intercellular activity to speed up healing the healing process and reduce pain. The treatment is relatively new, a groundbreaking therapy for chronic pain management of soft tissues and joints, and is considered the most advanced laser therapy available today.

While many different pain-reduction methods are available, some treatments used to reduce pain, such as invasive surgery or potentially addictive pain medications, come with various adverse side effects and risks. The MLS laser is painless, convenient, and effective, providing the benefits of pain reduction without the side effects of traditional therapeutics, and the treatment results in no downtime.

What is MLS Therapy?

MLS therapy is commonly used to treat pain resulting from a variety of major and minor injuries and illnesses, from bursitis to sciatica. MLS laser therapy, also known as cold laser therapy, is a non-invasive pain-management treatment that employs a low-level, two-stage therapeutic laser. The laser’s first wavelength delivers a continuous pulse at 808 nanometers to reduce inflammation. The second wavelength produces a wavelength of 905 nanometers that penetrates deep into the tissue to reach the affected nerves causing the pain. MLS therapy has been used as a pain management treatment in Europe for decades and has also been used in veterinary medicine.

How Does MLS Therapy Work?

The MLS laser emissions are absorbed by enzymes that react to infrared light, and these enzymes stimulate the body to repair the damage through increasing cellular activity. Pain management specialist Dr. Jean Santo explains that synchronized wavelengths provoke a metabolic reaction in the cells, stimulating healing to reduce inflammation and pain. This occurs by the laser stimulating the cytochrome oxidase enzyme that increases cellular oxygen uptake, increasing ATP production for the cells. ATP, short for Adenosine 5′-triphosphate, is what provides energy for the cells. This cascade of reactions stimulates cellular function and improves the efficiency of all the cells the laser comes into contact with. It is essential to understand that the MLS laser does not produce abnormal changes in the body but only allows the cells to work more efficiently while performing their normal biological functions. The greater cellular efficiency helps speed up the body’s natural recovery process in repairing acute and chronic conditions.

MLS laser therapy is just a low-intensity light, and treatment is painless. Whereas many laser treatments use lower-powered lasers similar to those used in a laser pointer, this type of laser is not powerful enough to produce any therapeutic results. However, MLS therapy uses a higher-powered class-4 laser penetrating deeper into the tissues. Unlike finely focused lasers used for surgical procedures, including dermatological treatments, MLS lasers are designed to cover a wider area. The wavelengths MLS laser produces have also been shown to increase vasodilation, improve circulation that brings more oxygen and nutrients to the tissues, and promote lymphatic system drainage. MLS therapy has also been shown to promote collagen production, which helps heal scar tissue and increases skin firmness. MLS laser therapy may be of benefit for those suffering from any of the following conditions:

• Arthritis and similar joint degeneration conditions

• Back pain

• Bursitis

• Degenerative joint issues

• Fibromyalgia

• Herniated or bulging disks

• Hip pain

• Injuries to the soft tissues

• Knee pain

• Muscle strains, sprains, and tears

• Muscle tears

• Neck pain

• Neuropathy

• Plantar fasciitis

• Post-surgical pain

• Pre- and post-surgical pain

• Scarring

• Sciatica

• Shoulder pain

• Slipped or bulging discs

• Soft tissue injuries

• Spinal compression

• Tendinitis

Benefits of MSL Therapy

Aside from pain relief and improved vascular activity, MLS laser therapy has shown the potential to produce several additional benefits, such as improved nerve function and immune system regulation: Following is a complete list of benefits:

• Pain Reduction: MLS therapy produces a pain-relieving effect through several mechanisms. These include decreasing nerve sensitivity, reducing inflammation through vasodilation, and the lymphatic system drainage of swollen areas. MLS laser may also help stimulate the production of the body’s own natural pain-killing hormones, namely endorphins and enkephalin, produced in the body by the brain and adrenal glands. MLS therapy also noninvasively stimulates acupuncture muscle trigger points to relieve musculoskeletal pain.

• Promotes Healing: The laser increases cellular energy, enabling cells to absorb nutrients and expel waste products more efficiently. As a result, cellular function is enhanced, and the speed of tissue regeneration is increased. The light also stimulates fibroblast development, the building blocks of collagen, and is the essential protein needed to repair damaged tissues.

• Noninvasive: When compared with more aggressive treatment options, such as surgery, Healthline reports laser therapy produces less pain, causes no swelling or scarring, and requires no lengthy hospital stay.

• No Side Effects: MLS therapy has no adverse side effects, including addiction, that pain medications can cause.

• Scar Reduction: MLS lasers reduce the formation of the fibrous tissue that creates scarring from a cut or a burn.

• Nerve Regeneration: Laser photons speed up the process of nerve cell regeneration, and this improves the action potential of cells, which, in turn, optimizes soft tissue regeneration.

• Immune Function Regulation: Infrared light is known to have a direct impact on the stimulation of the immune system through increased production of immunoglobulins, also known as antibodies, and lymphocytes, or white blood cells.

• Cellular Energy: When exposed to the MLS laser, the flavomononucleotide enzyme stimulates the production of adenosine triphosphate, referred to as ATP, which is the energy source for all chemical reactions that take place at the cellular level.

What To Expect

MLS laser therapy sessions take approximately 15 minutes per treated area. During treatment, the laser beam is moved robotically across the affected area. The treatment is painless but does produce a mild tingly sensation at the point of application. The effects of therapy can be immediate, with pain typically beginning to lessen in the first session or two. However, it typically takes seven to 10 treatments to achieve optimal results.

If you live in the Jacksonville, Florida area and you are experiencing pain or discomfort from a musculoskeletal injury or degenerative condition, Be Still Float wellness studio, located at 1050 Riverside Ave., offers MLS laser therapy as well as other non-invasive wellness treatments.