Most people have heard of the application of laser beams to cut and cauterize, so the idea of using lasers to treat Modic changes in the spine might seem disconcerting. Laser is simply a term to describe light of a single wavelength. The action of that laser beam is determined by the type of lens that is used in conjunction with the beam of light. A lens that concentrates the light beam to a specific focal point can have the power to cut and cauterize.
Bio-stimulating laser treatment uses a lens that keeps the laser light waves in parallel. They do not converge on a focal point. The parallel light beams pass through the skin and stimulate the body’s cells to accelerate the healing process.
Bio-stimulating laser treatment have proved significant treatment results in treating inflammation, wounds, and bone fractures.
In the Modic changes there are numerous micro fractures of the bone. The scaffolding of bone-threads within the vertebrae contains tiny breaks when Modic changes have occurred. These are sometimes called fatigue fractures and can be caused by jarring and impact. Like other fractures, they often cause pain. Without the right conditions and care, the body’s attempts to heal the fractures can be thwarted. Studies have shown that using bio-stimulating laser treatment can halve the time it takes for the bone to heal and results in new bone-growth having 30% more tensile strength than control experiments using ordinary light or no treatment.
How does bio-stimulation laser help heal fractures?
When a bone fracture starts to heal, cells called osteoblasts are generated at the various break sites. Osteoblasts eventually transform into new bone growth, healing the fracture points. It has been found that under the influence of laser stimulation, twice as many osteoblasts are generated at the break sites. This results in the fractures healing in half the time.
There is a number of different processes occurring when there is inflammation in the bone. However one is particularly influential in relation to the pain experienced in Modic changes.
Inflammation promotes the production of TNF-alpha which in turn stimulates the growth of new pain nerve fibres within the damaged bone. Bio-stimulating laser treatment reduces the production of TNF-alpha causing these pain nerve fibres to wither and die. This allows the resultant back pain to be eliminated.
