Relief from Pain and Inflammation!

Did you know that inflammation is the body’s normal protective response to an injury, irritation, or surgery? When your body is injured, it increases blood flow to the area as part of the natural defense process. This results in an accumulation of fluid and causes the symptoms of inflammation to develop.

Symptoms may include:

1. Swelling
2. Pain
3. Increased redness and warmth of the skin

Treatment

Injured tissue needs to be properly treated to help reduce inflammation and pain. When an injury occurs, it is important to follow the RICE therapy protocol.

• Rest: Walking can cause further injuries. Try to stay off the foot or ankle as much as possible.
• Ice: Apply an ice pack to the injured area, placing a thin towel between the ice and the skin. Use ice for 20 minutes and then wait at least 40 minutes before icing again.
• Compression: An elastic wrap should be used to control swelling.
• Elevation: The foot or ankle should be raised slightly above the level of your heart to reduce swelling.
  

Ibuprofen or other medications can also be used to help reduce inflammation. Chronic inflammation can be a result of a medical condition such as Arthritis, Tendonitis, and Plantar Fasciitis. These conditions can be very painful and make normal daily living tasks very difficult. Idaho Foot & Ankle Center offers a pain free natural treatment that can help reduce pain and acute or chronic inflammation in your foot and ankle. MLS Laser Therapy has a 90% success rate and can speed up the healing process.

HOW DOES MLS LASER THERAPY REDUCE INFLAMMATION?

1. Anti-Inflammatory: MLS Laser Therapy has an anti-edema effect as it causes vasodilation, but also because it activates the lymphatic drainage system which drains swollen areas. As a result, there is a reduction in swelling caused by bruising or inflammation.
2. Analgesic: MLS Laser Therapy has a beneficial effect on nerve cells. It blocks pain transmitted by these cells to the brain which decreases nerve sensitivity. Also, due to the decreased inflammation, there is less edema and less pain.
3. Accelerated Tissue Repair and Cell Growth: Photons of light from lasers penetrate deeply into tissue and accelerate cellular reproduction and growth. The laser light increases the energy available to the cell so that the cell can take on nutrients faster and get rid of waste products. As a result of exposure to laser light, damaged cells are repaired faster.
4. Improved Vascular Activity: Laser light will significantly increase the formation of new capillaries in damaged tissue which speeds up the healing process, closes wounds quickly, and reduces scar tissue.
5. Faster Wound Healing: Laser light stimulates fibroblast development in damaged tissue. Fibroblasts are the building blocks of collagen, which is the essential protein required to replace old tissue or to repair tissue injuries.

MLS Laser Therapy can be a very effective treatment that can reduce inflammation, is drug-free, and has no known side effects. It can also be used to treat the following conditions:

• Peripheral Neuropathy
• Acute/Chronic Pain
• Pain Due to Injury
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Arthritis
• Tendonitis

If you are struggling with foot or ankle pain and inflammation, please contact our specialists at Idaho Foot and Ankle Center for an appointment to see if MLS Laser Therapy is right for you!

Some content provided by The American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons.