Patents living with diabetes are at risk of developing a number of other serious health problems. Prolonged exposure to high blood glucose levels can lead to a myriad of diseases which can affect the eyes, kidneys, teeth, nerves and circulatory system. As many as 60% of diabetics suffer from some form of diabetic neuropathy, which most commonly presents in older patients with a long history of diabetes, or those with high blood pressure or excess body fat.
Peripheral neuropathy, one of many forms for diabetic neuropathy, causes numbness and decreased feeling in the feet and toes, pain when walking, and muscle weakness. Charcot Foot, a progressive degenerative condition that affects the joints in the feet, is a frequent result of peripheral neuropathy. Decreases in pain and sensation, combined with decreasing muscle reflexes and control, subject the feet to repeated trauma and injury causing progressive damage to the ligaments, cartilage, and bones. This can lead to serious problem in the foot such as ulcers, infections, deformities, and bone and joint pain.
Treatment has traditionally been achieved through the use of casting, custom footware, surgery, or even amputation depending on how far the condition has advanced. However, recent advances in non-thermal laser therapy now provide patients with treatment options which are non-invasive and are clinically proven to be an effective therapeutic modality in reducing pain and improving neurovascular function.1
Based on scientific findings from research by leading institutes including Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Theralase lasers work by supplying the body with billions of photons of light at very specific wavelengths. The body absorbs this laser light on a cellular level and transforms it into chemical energy, which the body then naturally uses to repair its own tissue. The bio-stimulating effect of laser therapy causes decreases in both pain and inflammation, and an increase in tissue regeneration and accelerated healing.
To find out more about how Theralase non-thermal laser therapy can help your diabetic patients, join us for a free informational webinar, Laser Therapy for Diabetic Neuropathy, Thursday, April 23 at 12:00 PM EST. Dr. Alex Peplow will explore the physiological benefits of Laser Therapy in treating Diabetic Neuropathy.
For more information or to register, please click here.
For patients wanting to find out more about how Theralase non-thermal laser therapy can help, visit our clinic locator to find a practitioner near you.
- Effect of low level laser therapy on neurovascular function of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. (2011). Cairo University, Journal of Advanced Research. Retrieved from http://www.journals.elsevier.com.