Years ago when I was early in my PMR journey I started going to a physiotherapist who offers low intensity light therapy. You can read a series of posts I made back then. I always felt it helped me during the early months and even years, and I continued going to see her for various other issues and always had a session with the light. There was a break of a couple of months in 2020 with covid lockdown, and then I hurt my knees (both of them, in separate incidents about six weeks apart). So when I restarted, it was to care for the worse knee. There was never another break after that, and she helped me through the bad issues with my neck and shoulders last winter.
This year I was intending to have a session about once a month, but all of a sudden there is an Omicron outbreak. And this time, no lockdown, and she has young children in school. I was a bit freaked out by this and cancelled my appointment. Therefore it was three months since the last appointment, this time I had no particular distracting injury, like the knees after last gap, but just what has become an almost normal feeling of being really old and achy. The remarkable thing, which I didn't expect, was how extremely well I felt the day after the light treatment. Both PMR and OA were basically non-existent for a day, and, no, I hadn't taken any painkillers other than my regular (at the moment) 3 mg pred.
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HeronNS
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I found out about it when I read a book by Norman Doidge in which he described a number of alternative therapies for various ailments. It has never been proven to work for PMR, but research shows it has some benefit for RA. I thought it worth a try. (I think Doidge has more recently come under fire for controversial opinions re covid , but I would not dismiss his books because of that.)
Is this the clinic you went to? Or is it just as an example of the type of therapy. I know it won’t be set in stone but what sort of price is a session?
I’m so interested just for general well-being.
I looked into laser light therapy when O first came to the UK and even considered purchasing a unit and becoming a practitioner. There was quite a lot of training involved and time would not permit.
No it isn't. I live in Canada and as the system started here it is quite readily available. But I posted that clinic link because she explains her experience with PMR.
I just pay the cost of a regular physiotherapy session. It depends on where you live I guess. We have private insurance (over and above our public medicare) and it covers part of physiotherapy costs, which is very helpful.
I think it is a kind of red light, but there has been a lot of research done and I know my physiotherapist carefully calibrates the machine for every treatment, including varying it during the session. Look up bioflex. Actually, add Toronto to the search or you'll come up with other things with same or similar name, like herbal remedy, etc. It's the low intensity light therapy developed by surgeon Fred Kahn.
That is wonderful news. I would certainly like to try it. Every little helps, we have been confined and out of the sunshine. This intense treatment is bound to be a step in the right direction.
This is and interesting article: kelownadailycourier.ca/life.... Fred Kahn, director of the Meditech Laser and Rehabilitation Centre in Toronto, explains that LILT also triggers release of endorphins, morphine-like substances, that inhibit pain sensation. It also increases cortisol, the forerunner of cortisone, and angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels." Well worth a try especially when reducing Pred.
I think somehow your first link got corrupted. This is the article I found by googling, using your information! Thank you. Interesting article. I knew Gifford-Jones was supportive years ago so it's good to know he has used the therapy and found it helpful.
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