Cold Laser Advanced As Carpal Tunnel Treatment

Rio writes "A local6.com article tells us about how the constant pounding away at the keyboard is a literal pain for millions of people. According to an official, the cold laser technique is a medical device that will soon be used by more doctors to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. The procedure involves the use of a cold laser beam that pierces the skin and stimulates white blood cells to come to the inflamed area to reduce pain and swelling."

Comments

theory behind treatment

[!splut]

Mabye my immunobio knowledge isn't up to snuff, but I don't see how recruiting white blood cells to the site of an inflammation response would help to reduce swelling and pain. White blood cells ought to end up at sites of inflammation anyway.

Local6.com not being helpful in the explanation department, I checked out http://www.coldlaser.com/, only to learn the following:

"Certain wavelengths of light have the ability to penetrate high-water content material such as animal tissue. This penetration allows the process of photobiostimulation on animal cells is similar to photosynthesis in plant cells whereby light sets in motion a chain of chemical reactions. In human tissue the resulting photochemical reaction produces an increase in the cellular metabolism rate which expedites cell repair and the stimulation of several systems: the immune, lymphatic and vascular."
(http://www.coldlaser.com/services.html)

Which strikes me as silly and poorly understood. On the other hand, the treatment only costs $45, is covered by insurance, and also involves patients "learning proper posture and stress-reducing relaxation techniques," which we know from years of clinival use to be helpful, so, hey, whatever. If Dr. Smith enjoys shining lasers into his patients' wrists, power to him.