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Use of therapeutic laser in the veterinary field

02 October 2021
6 mins read
Volume 12 · Issue 8
Figure 1. A patient receives laser therapy while waking up from anesthesia immediately following a mass removal procedure.

Abstract

Therapeutic laser is an increasingly popular tool used in veterinary medicine. Therapeutic laser for veterinary patients aids the body's natural healing process, decreases healing time, alleviates pain and inflammation, and helps to delay progressive diseases. Therapeutic laser can be used immediately following procedures, in postoperative healing, and in a variety of disease processes. Therapeutic lasers are potentially dangerous tools and should be used with caution by trained veterinary nurses. When used properly, the therapeutic laser penetrates the patient's tissues to aid in cell regrowth and reduce pain and inflammation. In order to properly utilise this tool, the veterinary nurse must know what a therapeutic laser is, how it works, and how to handle it properly for each case. Once these concepts are mastered, therapeutic laser can be used by the veterinary nurse, under the supervision of the veterinarian, on a daily basis to help patients with a variety of needs.

Therapeutic laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) for veterinary patients helps the body's natural healing process, decreases healing time, alleviates pain and inflammation, and helps to delay progressive diseases (Lindley and Watson, 2010; Millis and Saunders, 2014).

Therapeutic laser can be used immediately following procedures, in postoperative healing, and in a variety of disease processes. (Levine and Millis, 2014) (Figure 1).

In order to properly use this tool, the veterinary nurse must know what a therapeutic laser is, how it works, and how to handle it properly for each case. Once these concepts are mastered, therapeutic laser can be used by the veterinary nurse, under the supervision of the veterinarian, on a daily basis to help patients with a variety of needs.

Laser therapy or photobiomodulation is a photochemical process in which light from a laser interacts with cells and causes stimulation or other biochemical changes (Pryor and Millis, 2015). Depending on the wavelength emitted by the laser unit, different parts of the body are affected by the laser's varying penetration. The intensity and depth of the laser's penetration into the patient's tissues provide various effects on the body's ability to heal. Laser light typically falls within the infrared or near red portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (Levine and Millis, 2014).

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