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Athletic Trainers Advance New Laser Therapy
By
Valerie Hunt - NATA News - Oct. 15, 2002 - Two certified
athletic trainers are among a handful of people in the
United States comprising an initial group of professionals
certified to use a new low-level laser. The device, they
say, offers amazing relief for people with Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome, and it also represents a wealth of research
opportunity.
Doug Johnson, ATC, co-owner of Sports and Industrial Rehab
in Taylor, Mich., and Ray Maleyto, ATC, a Sports and
Industrial Rehab employee, both are certified
to use MicroLight Corporation of America's ML 830TM
low-level laser, which gained U.S. Food and Drug
Administration approval in February for treatment of carpal
tunnel syndrome.
The ML 830TM remains the only laser with FDA
approval for CTS, and fewer than 30 of the machines exist
currently, although the Texas-based manufacturer is working
to fill a growing demand for the tool.
"Canada has had this technology since 1994, but the
United States is just now getting it," Johnson said.
"It is scary how well this laser works. It's the first
thing in therapy that can actually help heal the
tissue."
Getting Results
Johnson began following the development of the ML 830TM
laser after its clinical trials years ago. General Motors
and one of Baylor University's medical centers both tested
the device. "GM in 10 years spent $2 billion on Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome alone, between lost production, re-education
of employees, medical costs and employee replacements,"
Johnson said. "They conducted trials of the laser and
found it to be 70 to 80 percent effective - nearly 80
percent of the people in the study went back to work
full-duty, while the other 20 percent had some improvement
but did not have full resolution.
"They considered full resolution to be total
elimination of pain and limitations, and 80 percent of the
people achieve that," he said. "That's a big deal.
They weren't testing a small group - they tested every
employee who was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome."
"We had a client who suffered Carpal Tunnel for 14
years, as a result of cutting hair and working at
Target," Johnson said. "She was seriously
debilitated. After two treatments, she had full range of
motion and was sleeping through the night again."
"Another patient in our building went from 30 pounds of
grip strength to 60 pounds of grip strength in three
treatments. We also treated a guy who had flexor tendinitis,
and he went from 30 pounds of grip strength to 130 pounds in
three treatments."
Because they wanted to test the laser's capabilities,
Johnson and Maleyko both underwent laser therapy themselves.
They were eager to experience the laser from a patient's
point of view.
"It's a lot like ultrasound - you don't feel it,"
Johnson said. "Occasionally you can feel a tingle.
There's no heat. It's very comfortable. I had tendinitis in
my elbow horribly bad, from keyboarding because of a big
proposal I'd been working on. The laser eliminated the pain.
Ray had tendinitis from playing guitar and baseball, and it
worked with him, too."
Although the laser is approved by the FDA only for treatment
of CTS, patients can opt to take part in clinical
investigations and undergo low-level laser therapy on other
parts of their body. Johnson said he has used the laser on
nearly every part of himself and found positive results each
time.
Maleyko pointed out what he feels is one of the laser's most
significant achievements: It works on diabetic patients as
quickly as non-diabetic patients.
"There's so much potential here," he said.
"Our short-term and long-term goals are to do solid
research on other applications, including lateral
epicondylitis as well as the effects of low-level laser
therapy on diabetic wound healing."
"This laser is not a cure-all," Maleyko added,
"but it is certainly doing amazing things."
Johnson said the therapy does more than simply relieve pain.
"Like any modality, if you continue the insulting
activity, your going to continue to have the problem,"
he said. "But the laser causes healing rather then pain
blockage. This does have a lasting effect. The problem is,
if you continue to do the activity that led to your problem
and you don't modify it through ergonomics, you'll develop
it again."
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