Laser Therapy—Ending Pain Everyday!

There are many types of lasers. All of them have certain essential features. The lasing medium is pumped into an excited state. Harnessing this energy allows various uses of lasers.

Lasers are classified into four broad areas depending on the potential for causing biological effect . When you see a laser, it should be labeled with one of these four class designations:

• Class I – These lasers cannot emit laser radiation at known hazard levels.
• Class I.A. – This is a special designation that applies only to lasers that are “not intended for viewing,” such as a supermarket laser scanner. The upper power limit of Class I.A. is 4.0 mW.
• Class II – These are low-power visible lasers that emit above Class I levels but at a radiant power not above 1 mW. The concept is that the human aversion reaction to bright light will protect a person.
• Class IIIA – These are intermediate-power lasers (cw: 1-5 mW), which are hazardous only for intrabeam viewing. Most pen-like pointing lasers are in this class.
• Class IIIB – These are moderate-power lasers. These are the so called “cold lasers”. They have limited penetration ability into the body. There are more superficial applications for this class laser.
• Class IV – These are high-power lasers. They are the class of lasers that have many therapeutic applications in medicine. They are used in surgery for cutting tissue and ablating tissue. They also have application to reach deep into the body through intact skin to stimulate the body to achieve certain very desirous results.