Cold Laser Therapy for Treating Back Pain

Cold laser therapy is a treatment that uses low levels of light from a laser to stimulate healing. It's often used to treat back pain. The treatment is referred to as "cold" because the intensity is low enough not to generate heat; it doesn't actually cool your tissues, though.

Back Problems Treated With Cold Laser Therapy

Cold laser therapy is often called low-level laser therapy, or LLLT. It's been around as a pain relief treatment for over 30 years. This approach is often used in chiropractic offices. It is non-invasive and seems to get good results for people.

Inconsistent Research

Numerous studies have been done on cold laser therapy, with mixed results. Because of the inconsistency, it’s still considered a “controversial” treatment. A 2012 meta-analysis found the treatment to be ineffective in a significant number of clinical trials, while many trials rated it as effective. The authors concluded that the treatment has merit when it comes to pain relief.

To decide whether this treatment is one you'd like to try, it's important to consider its effect on your specific condition.

Cold Laser Therapy for Facet Joints

Spinal and other joints can become inflamed due to injury or flare-ups of chronic conditions. Generally, in these cases, medication can be effective.

Medications commonly used for breakthrough pain include:

• Tylenol (acetaminophen)
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including Motrin (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen)
• Corticosteroid injections

However, these drugs can come with side effects. Surgery is sometimes an option for severe cases that are caused by a clear structural problem. But surgery has risks and the results aren't always satisfactory.

Cold laser therapy can be effective for joint disease if used at an energy level that inhibits inflammatory activity in the joint capsule.

A 2011 study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapies compared spinal manipulative therapy with low-level laser therapy for people with facet joint pain in their necks. The researchers found that both types of treatments were helpful, and when used in combination, the results were better.

Low Level Laser Therapy for Herniated Disc Pain

A herniated disc can cause significant pain and radiculopathy (pinched nerves).

Radiculopathy symptoms include:

• Pain
• Weakness
• Numbness
• Electrical sensations (shock, burning, pins and needles, etc.)

The symptoms typically radiate down the arm or the leg.

Sometimes the body will reabsorb extruding disc material over the course of about a year. Some people use treatments like cold laser therapy to manage their pain in the meantime.

Other treatments for herniated disc treatment include chiropractic care or epidural steroid injections, which can be combined with each other and with LLLT.

In a general review on cold laser therapy, the Cochrane Back and Neck Group concluded that although no side effects were reported, they couldn't find enough evidence that this treatment works for non-specific low back pain to recommend it.

Another study, published in the September 2012 issue of Laser Therapy, found cold laser treatment to be effective for pain that's caused by herniation of a cervical disc that's related to spondylosis. This study also found that posture education was key to retaining the benefits of LLLT long-term.

A Word From Verywell

To decide whether cold laser therapy is right for treating your back pain, it's important to look at the source of your pain and talk to your healthcare team about it. They can help guide you in the right direction by providing you with a diagnosis, suggested therapies for your pain, and determining whether there is a possibility that this treatment could help.