Chukuka S. Enwemeka, PhD, FACSM

Professor and Dean, School of Health Professions, Behavioral and Life Sciences, New York Institute of Technology, New York.

For more than twenty years, our laboratory and those of others have accumulated data revealing the therapeutic benefits of laser phototherapy, including its uses for tissue repair, pain relief and resolution of inflammatory processes. This presentation, which is intended to analyze and synthesize these findings, will reveal the following: (1) The therapeutic effects of light depend heavily on wavelength and dose. Wavelengths in the range of 600 – 1000 nm have been documented to relieve pain and promote tissue repair in a wide range of clinical scenarios, including acute and chronic wound care, diabetic, arterial and venous ulcer repair, neck and back pain relief, carpal tunnel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and other pathologically induced and non-pathology related inflammatory processes. (2) Recent studies indicate that other wavelengths produce other beneficial effects. For example, blue light has been shown to kill P. acne, S. aureus, and other bacteria, making the range of wavelengths that yield this color beneficial for treating topical infections. (3) LEDs, SLDs, polychromatic light and lasers seem to yield similar results, indicating that coherence does not appear to play a significant role in these situations. (4) The range of dosages needed to promote tissue repair and pain relief are generally low. Quite often, positive results can be achieved with dosages in the range of one to six J cm -2 ; although others have shown that slightly higher dosages are also effective. (5) The frequency of treatment can be as low as two times per week, and it is not necessary to irradiate daily. The underlying mechanisms for these experimentally and clinically demonstrated possibilities will be discussed throughout the presentation.