After considerable research, FDA market clears first-ever and only low-level laser treatment for chronic low back pain
About 80 percent of us will experience low back pain at some point in our lives1. In fact, it’s the number one reason why people miss work. Unfortunately, many of us will get little relief from physical therapy, exercise, acupuncture or massage. And opioid drugs are not just addicting; a major meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that they may make chronic pain worse over time2!
Now there’s another option you may want to try before resorting to painful, expensive back surgery. The Erchonia FX 635 low-level laser is the first and only laser to receive official FDA market clearance for relief of chronic, musculoskeletal low-back pain. Low-level laser treatments are pain-free and take only 20 minutes. With no down time or side effects, you can immediately resume normal activities after treatment.
Here’s why so many healthcare professionals are excited about low-level laser treatment
Traditional medical treatment of low back pain often involves prescription painkillers, particularly opioids. The risk of abuse and addiction with these drugs is well known. In 2016, the CDC issued revised prescribing guidelines that recommend sharply cutting the duration of any pain-killer prescription3. Most importantly, these drugs fail to be effective in the long term.
NSAIDs such as ibuprofen relieve mild pain and are especially effective against inflammation. But they are also linked to internal bleeding. “Erchonia low-level laser therapy and NSAIDs are both Cox 2 inhibitors, which means they both target the enzyme responsible for inflammation and pain,” explains Erchonia President and co-founder Steven Shanks. “Whereas NSAIDs are biochemical, lasers are photochemical. They use laser light to provide long-lasting relief without side effects.” Shanks adds that, “And unlike a steroid injection, another pain relief option which simply suppresses inflammation, lasers actually help to restore and heal chronic and acute injuries.”
Research shows this laser delivers remarkable low back pain relief
A placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical trial involving 58 people led to the FDA’s market clearance of the Erchonia FX 635 for relief of chronic low back pain. In this four-week trial, half of the study participants were treated with the laser and half were treated with an LED placebo. The treatments consisted of two 20-minute procedures per week, spaced three to four days apart.
Of those who received the FX 635 laser treatment, 72.4 percent experienced a 30 percent or greater decrease in lower back pain. At the end of three months, the reduction in pain continued, even though no additional treatment was administered after the first month.
This compares favorably with a recent study published in JAMA4 which found that opioids and NSAIDs demonstrated a 30 and 34.5 percent reduction in pain, respectively.
“We believe we have demonstrated that the use of non-thermal lasers has proven to be a far better option for treating chronic low back pain than that of opioids or NSAIDS,” says Shanks.
For more information, please go to www.Erchonia.com.
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