Bioflex Low Level Laser Therapy
Integrity is now offering Photobiomodulation, or Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), using a Canadian-based company's device called Bioflex. Bioflex uses specific red and infrared wavelengths in a combination of flexible LED panels and laser probes for treatment of numerous injuries and conditions including:
migraines
concussion
post-concussion syndrome
stroke and TBI rehab
tendinopathies
neuropathies
disc injuries
fracture healing
cartilage injuries... and many others!
It accomplishes the healing by stimulating specific enzymes in the body that greatly increases:
energy production
blood flow
nerve/bone/cartilage/muscle growth ...while reducing inflammation
Could you or someone you know could benefit from this treatment? Read along while I share more about Bioflex LLLT and why I'm so excited to be able to offer it at our clinic!
Over the past 5 years I've been blessed to be involved in so many people's health journeys. NUCCA has always been my go-to treatment for people looking for healing. By simply getting their head and neck on straight I've seen such amazing results. I am so thankful that I get to be a part of bringing this life changing treatment to these people's lives.
Having said this, I recognize that NUCCA isn't going to solve every problem fully and there are patients who still struggle with various symptoms, albeit to a lesser degree, after having NUCCA. Certain patients may have 50% - 90% improvement, but still be left with less severe pains from disc bulges and torn muscle/tendon/ligaments, or less severe migraines or headaches.
This brought me to Bioflex.
I was first introduced to Bioflex through one particular NUCCA patient. This patient has quite severe and complex symptoms. In pursuit of improvement they began to travel to Calgary for naturopathic treatment. As a way to reduce and treat head pain and migraines associated with neuroinflammation this Dr. chose to include the use of Bioflex. After a few treatments this patient experienced significant improvement in her symptoms! After seeing the significant relief this patient experienced combined with my desire for them not to need to travel 6 hours every week for treatment, I decided to look into Bioflex myself.
Excited to learn more I reached out to the Naturopath in Calgary. I asked him about his decision to include Bioflex in his practice, and about the results he's seen his patient's benefit from. I then reached out to the people at Bioflex. I was extremely impressed with the evidence they presented to me and the high quality devices they had to offer. Next I dove into the research.
The more I learned about Bioflex the more I desired to be able to offer this amazing treatment in Medicine Hat. It seemed like a good fit at Integrity.
What is Bioflex?
Bioflex is the name of the company that produces the devices that utilize Low Level Laser Therapy for treatment of various injuries and symptoms. It is called this because many of their treatment devices involve flexible arrays (or light panels) that allow the light to be in contact with the contour of the skin of the human body. Bioflex is a Toronto-based company that has been producing these high quality machines for decades.
What is Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)?
Low level laser therapy, or sometimes called Photobiomodulation, uses specific wavelengths of light to penetrate the skin and greatly improve the rate of healing of the underlying tissues. It utilizes mainly Red and Infrared Wavelengths in order to fulfill this goal.
It has slowly become more popular and well-known over the last few years!
What does it do?
When used properly within all its parameters, LLLT helps in the following
ways:
↑ ATP production
↑ in angiogenesis & nerovascularization (more blood vessels and blood locally)
↑ in nerve regeneration
↑ in cartilage production
↑ in bone formation
↑ muscle regeneration
↓ in muscle atrophy
↓ inflammation and edema
What a lot of people (and many manufacturers) may not fully understand (and what I didn’t realize until recently) was the incredible nuance involved with LLLT. There are numerous parameters that have to be satisfied in order to make sure that LLLT is going to be successful in treating a given condition.
These might include:
1. Power output- Too high? It won’t work. Too low? It won’t work. There’s a sweet spot.
2. Wavelength- Red light requires ~650nM wavelengths, and Infrared requires ~820nM) in order to be effective.
3. Contact with skin- This is important! If the light used is away from the skin, up to 85% of the light may be reflected and never utilized in the body! This isn’t possible if the light being used produces heat.
4. Length of treatments- There is an optimal length of treatment that results in the best outcomes.
5. Number of treatments- This often requires a number of treatments. Unfortunately it isn’t surgery (though it has been shown to significantly improve the rate of healing post-surgery!) and can’t happen all in one day.
6. Output specifications- These are specific to each treatment! It includes frequency, duty cycle, dosage, and location.
If this seems confusing… it kind of is.
Fortunately Bioflex has been around for decades. As a result they have produced excellent resources and procedures to make sure these specific details correctly considered.
How does LLLT work?
I find it fascinating to understand the mechanism behind LLLT. Basically, both red and infrared light, when it is able to pass through the skin, is able to be absorbed by the enzyme Cytochrome C Oxidase and other photoreceptive enzymes in the body that trigger increased ATP (ENERGY) production, therefore speeding up the healing time and allowing blunted and non-healed injuries to begin the healing process.
There are some really interesting videos by Bioflex on Youtube for anyone interested!
What has Bioflex been shown to help?
While Bioflex has numerous uses, I became most interested in it for it’s potential help with headaches and migraines (there’s a good study you can ask me about), post stroke rehab and TBI recovery, concussion and Post-Concussion Syndrome (chronic concussion) rehab, whiplash and Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) recovery, tendinopathies (golfers/tennis elbow, rotator cuff tendonitis), cartilage tears, diabetic neuropathy and carpal tunnel syndrome, disc bulges, and spinal fracture recovery.
What does this mean for you?
I have been speaking to many patients about Bioflex whom I believe might be particularly helped by this new treatment option. If I haven’t mentioned it, I might not have seen you since we started planning on this providing this treatment or it may not have come to mind at that point in time. Feel free to ask about it if you are wondering if it might help you.
We are going to be slowly implementing the Bioflex more and more over the coming weeks and months.
You can call our clinic at 403-529-0304 to schedule appointments for Bioflex or ask any questions you may have. When you call to schedule make sure to specify you want a Bioflex treatment!
Read more about Bioflex here → https://bioflexlaser.com/bioflex-science/
Things to remember
1. This often requires 6-12 treatments for most conditions
2. Treatments average 20 - 45 minutes
3. FYI: The light arrays and probes cannot be on top of clothing- wear loose fitting clothing
4. Cost per treatment depends on complexity and averages $50 per Bioflex treatment, ranging from $25 - $75
If you’d like to schedule an appointment and begin trying Bioflex Low Level Laser Therapy, or have someone you know that might like to try, give our clinic a call and schedule an appointment with me so we can go through its possible use for you.
I'm look forward to bringing this beneficial treatment to our wonderful city!
Dr. Justin