Choosing A Laser Therapist
More and more health professionals such as massage therapists, physiotherapists, acupuncturists, naturopaths, nurses and more are offering laser therapy in their practice to treat pain, inflammation, speed healing of injuries, quitting addictions like quitting smoking and more.
This is good news! As it means that despite mainstream medicine being slow on recommending this powerful healing therapy (even with increasing scientific support) — clinical results are speaking for themselves. More people are recognizing and talking about laser therapy then ever before as demand continues to grow.
Despite all the good news surrounding laser light therapy, there are some potential pitfalls to avoid or minimize when looking for a professional that offers this service. Fortunately, Lazer Dave has been specializing in and using laser therapy in his health practice for 15+ years so has some key recommendations to consider:
- CHOOSE A PROPERLY TRAINED, EXPERIENCED AND QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL. A professional that has a strong background in anatomy, physiology and physical therapy skills is very important to maximize laser therapy results and ensure safe application. Laser therapy onto itself is unregulated in Canada and there are plenty of “laser technicians” operating in the market place with very minimal training. Best to go with someone who has a background in massage therapy, physiotherapy or similar.
- OPTIMAL LASER DOSE. For optimal laser therapy results — factors such as duration, treatment frequency, power and ultimately “energy dose” (measured in joules/cm2) must be carefully considered. These treatment plan variables need to be customized to each individual patient based on critical healthy history factors such as age, general health, medications, skin pigmentation and more. Some individuals are extremely sensitive to laser and respond very quickly with a lower dose and others need a slightly higher dose for optimal and favourable results. A proficient laser therapist will consider all these factors proactively before your first treatment in order to formulate a tailored laser dose just for you that will maximize both short and long term results.
- LESS IS MORE. It is Dave’s experience and an extension of the theory behind Arndt Schultz’s Law that weak stimuli excite physiological activity, moderate stimuli favor it, and strong stimuli arrests it. This simply means that overstimulation of tissues with laser is a risk and all to common mistake that beginner, unqualified and inexperienced therapists often make. This requires a therapist to utilize a disciplined and methodical approach acquired by training and years of experience treating different health concerns.
Lazer Dave applies all the above principles and methodologies in his treatments plus he has years of clinical experience to promote optimal laser therapy results. If you can’t be treated by Dave, make sure you choose a professional who not only has the optimal background and training with laser — pick someone who is not in a hurry and able to spend the appropriate amount of time with you in order to fully comprehend your unique needs. This will help to maximize your investment of time and money into a treatment plan utilizing laser therapy.
Questions To Ask When Choosing A Laser Therapy Professional
Considering the above principles, variables and concerns that promote optimal laser therapy results — here are some questions you might want to have answered when doing your researching for a proficient laser therapy professional. Check out their website, look for positive video testimonials, social media ratings or a personal consultation with them on the phone at least if the information you are looking for is not readily available online.
Remember, laser therapists and laser therapy is an unregulated therapy in Canada. This means that someone with NO background or training in anatomy, physiology, physical therapy, etc. and say an hour introductory course can say technically state they are “laser professional”. In particular, the trend seems that those that use the term “laser technician” should be scrutinized as they often DO NOT have a regulated health professional background.
- WHAT QUALIFIES A PROFESSIONAL TO OFFER LASER THERAPY IN THEIR PRACTICE? Start with asking yourself is it even obvious who exactly will be treating you by personal name when researching a clinic that offers laser therapy? Does the professional have training or a background as a regulated health professional such as massage therapy, acupuncture, naturopathy, nursing or similar? How many courses have they completed on laser therapy? Where did they get their training? Do they pursue continuing education? How do they stay up-to-date on the latest clinical approaches and scientific research? If the answers are not clear — this should raise red flags.
- WHAT IS THEIR EXPERIENCE USING LASER THERAPY? What conditions does this therapist treat using laser therapy? How long have they been using laser therapy in their practice? Can they readily supply documented examples of positive treatment outcomes? What is their success rate? What about potential negative side effects and what steps do they take to minimize them? How about credible testimonials — do they have any posted on their website or YouTube? What kind of google reviews do they have? What does social media have to say about them? How do they respond to questions via social media? Do they even have a social media presence? If you cannot readily find this information via their website — the clinic likely utilizes the services of a “laser technician” versus a “laser therapist” with a regulated health professional background.
- WHAT LASER THERAPY EQUIPMENT DO THEY USE? What brand of laser therapy equipment does the professional uses in their practice? If this is not presented on their site — they could be using substandard equipment. Where does it come from? When was it last serviced? How long has the manufacturer of the equipment they use been making lasers? Is the equipment Health Canada Approved? How long has the professional been using their particular laser system? How many laser diodes/probes do they use in treatments? Most “laser technicians” only use 1 probe while “laser therapists” tend to use more for optimal results.
- CLINIC LOCATION. Where does the laser therapist practice from? Do they work with other health care professionals? Is the office or clinic location they offer their services from in a professional, clean and easy to access location? Office or clinic location is an important indicator of a laser therapist’s credibility.
- PRICES. Are prices clearly quoted on their website? How many treatments are included with their fee’s? How much are additional or “booster” treatments if needed? Do their prices seem especially discounted? Do they include appetite suppression points with treatment or charge an exorbitant extra fee of an extra $100 for these 2-3 energy points which take very little extra time and effort to treat in addition to stimulating the core energy points? Good quality laser therapy equipment and training is not inexpensive , so it is only fair a good laser therapist should be adequately compensated for their investment into equipment, training and their specialized skills/knowledge they offer in the community and general market place.
If the majority of the questions above cannot be clearly or professionally answered — it should raise some serious concerns and may mean the “professional” you are considering offers substandard service and success rates.
Why Choose Lazer Dave?
Lazer Dave is Ottawa’s premiere laser therapy expert.
This is backed up by his 15+ years of clinical experience treating a myriad of health concerns, top notch European laser therapy equipment from Germany, high success rates, massage therapy training/background, anatomy expertise, physiology knowledge, hours of laser therapy training, commitment to continuing education and staying up-to-date on the latest research and developments in the field of laser and PBM (photobiomodulation) thearapy.
This combined expertise can be best summarized as “The Lazer Dave Advantage”. For more details on The Lazer Dave Advantage and Dave’s professional qualifications — check out the page “Why Choose Dave?”
About Lazer Dave
Want to know a little more personal info about Lazer Dave and his laser story?
Check out the “About Lazer Dave” page.
