{"id":3734,"date":"2016-09-18T11:15:39","date_gmt":"2016-09-18T19:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dogkneeinjury.com\/?p=3734"},"modified":"2022-04-11T12:25:14","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T20:25:14","slug":"photonic-light-therapy-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dogkneeinjury.com\/photonic-light-therapy-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Photonic Light Therapy for Dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are many ways to help your dog heal after surgery, such as acupuncture<\/a>, massage<\/a>, or turmeric paste<\/a>. Another treatment you may have heard of is photonic light therapy, which uses a laser with red or near-infrared light to penetrate damaged cells at specific points on the body. A laser, in the simplest terms, is an amplifier of light, emitted in the form of photons (electromagnetic energy). The absorption and penetration levels of each photon is determined by its wavelength. When the photons, in the form of light, come into contact with biological tissue, part of it is absorbed, part is reflected or scattered, and part is further transmitted. The primary benefits of light therapy come from those photons that are absorbed, initiating activity at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. Interestingly, damaged cells and tissues have been shown to have a significantly higher response to light therapy than healthy cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its core, light therapy does three main things: increases healing, decreases inflammation, and decreases pain. But how?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application of red light therapy stimulates mitochondria within a cell, which increases production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), nitric oxide (NO), and reactive oxygen species (ROS), all of which are involved in various physiological and pathological processes in the body. ATP, for example, sends signals to the brain to release endorphins and serotonin, which are both natural pain relievers. Other healing effects triggered by light therapy include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n