TREATING TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES

Laser therapy for brain injuries

Laser therapy might heal the brain

It is well known that laser therapy is helpful for all types of pain and soft tissue problems. However, one of the most exciting trends in laser therapy is the use of lasers to heal the brain, nervous system, heart, lungs, and liver. The following two studies demonstrate the value of laser therapy in treating the brain.

In the first study, patient 1 had a traumatic brain injury for 7 years following a motor vehicle accident. 500 milliwatts of laser therapy was applied directly to the patient’s skull. Initially, the patient was only able to work for 20 min. on her computer. After eight weekly treatments, her ability increased to 3 hours! The patient continues to perform nightly home laser therapy treatments because if she stops treatment for more than 2 weeks, she regresses.

Laser therapy and brain injuries

Laser therapy can improve cognition

Patient 2 had a history of traumatic brain injuries following a sports accident, a fall and military service. An MRI showed frontal lobe atrophy. Before treatment to her skull, she was on medical disability for 5 months. After 4 months of laser therapy treatment, medical disability was discontinued and she returned to working full-time as an executive! After 9 months of laser therapy treatment, tests showed dramatically improved brain function.

At the time of this report, both patients were continuing laser therapy treatment. The scientists who performed these studies concluded that laser therapy to the brain can improve cognition and reduce costs of traumatic brain injury treatment.

(Photomed Laser Surg 2010 Dec 23)

After an optic nerve injury, brain damage spreads from the optic nerve to other areas of the brain, making adjacent areas vulnerable to more degeneration and loss of function. In this study, the researchers showed that treatment to the skull with 670 nanometers of laser therapy improved the function of the optic nerve and prevented further degeneration.

This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that laser therapy applied to the skull after a traumatic brain injury can improve brain function and reduce collateral damage.

(J Neurotrauma 2010 Nov;27(11):2107-19)

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