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Clinical application of photobiomodulation therapy in a zoological setting
Abstract
Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) uses wavelengths of light that have biostimulatory effects on target tissues. This results in three primary therapeutic effects: anti-inflammatory, analgesia and the regeneration of damaged tissues. The application of PBMT is non-invasive, painless and is often used as an adjunctive therapy to multimodal treatment approaches in zoological settings. Individual treatment plans are required; plans must consider species variability in patient size, skin thickness, coat colour and the depth of the target tissue. Treatment can often be achieved through positive reinforcement training and in a minimally invasive way to ensure the welfare of the patient. The medical benefits of PBMT in zoo animals are poorly described in the literature and confounding factors make it challenging to prove treatment efficacy.
For centuries there has been evidence of the use of light to promote healing (Hamblin et al, 2018). In 1903, The Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology, was awarded for the use of phototherapy in the successful treatment of disease (Tata and Waynant, 2011). Dr Endre Mester is considered the founding father of laser biostimulation; he used low power red light to treat humans and animals, demonstrating reduced wound healing times (Tata and Waynant, 2011; Paterniani and Grolli, 2017).
Throughout the evolution of laser therapy devices multiple names have emerged that describe both the technology and device itself; these include low-level laser therapy, low-level light therapy, LLLT, therapeutic lasers, cold laser, soft laser, photobiostimulation and phototherapy, all of which are different names for the same thing. In 2016, photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) was agreed as the preferred and standardised term to be used going forward (Anders et al, 2015).
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