Medical Lasers have many different uses within the medical field;
some uses include Lasik eye surgery, cosmetic surgery, tumor removal, dental procedures
etc. In the field of Podiatry Medical Lasers can be useful to treat many
different conditions. In this blog I will discuss the relevance of lasers to
the field of podiatry.
How do Lasers work?
LASER, which stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated
Emission of Radiation, work by having an intense beam of light, of a specific
wavelength, which then allows the beam to focus on a small area. By having the
beam focus on a small area the Laser can be used for surgical work by removing
a lesion, burning, destroying or cutting etc.
Are Medical Lasers
safe?
Medical Lasers has a source of radiation that is minute, due
to the fact that the source of light is so small that it is safe and poses no
health risks. Due to the fact that the light is so small it allows a physician
to treat specific lesions without destroying the surrounding healthy tissues.
How are lasers used
in Podiatry?
In our private practice we utilize 2 different types of
laser to combat many different medical conditions.
Our first laser, which is called Sciton Laser, more specifically JOULE ClearSense . This laser is used to treat toenail fungus (also
known as onychomycosis) and plantar warts. As per the Sciton’s website, the way
the laser works is that the temperature of the laser is high that is heats the
nail and decreases the nail fungus and increases the growth of the healthy
nail. (http://www.sciton.com/treatments/onychomycosis)
This treatment is painless and takes 15 minutes. We
recommend 4 treatments within a 2 month period.
In relation to treating plantar warts, it is a onetime
treatment, also using the ClearSense, that requires a local anesthetic prior to
treatment. The treatment of the plantar warts works similarly to the fungal
nails, in that is heats the warts and kills the roots.
What about other
applications in Podiatry?
We use K laser in our office to treat many different alignments
such as plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and pain from residual ankle
sprains. The way it works is to increase blood flow to an area, which will then
increase the oxygen to the area and then increase the healing to the area. We
recommend 10 treatments within a 5 week time frame. The treatment is under 10
minutes, is painless and you are able to drive home without sequela.
As technology advances, scientists are finding new ways to
treat old conditions. I have had success with these lasers that I have not seen
in the past, therefore, I recommend someone with these conditions to try the
laser and they will notice the improvement of their conditions.
For more information please visit our website at footnj.com
