Robotic Laser May Offer Improved Pain Relief For Patients

Could a reemerging laser device facilitate improved relief of pain, edema and inflammation?

The Multiwave Locked System (MLS^®) therapy laser line, including the M6 therapy laser, provides effective and efficient treatment modalities that may exceed the capabilities of traditional low power lasers and mitigate the concerns associated with high power lasers, according to the manufacturer Cutting Edge Laser Technologies. 

The company says the aforementioned M6 therapy laser provides a five cm diameter target area. Distinguishable from previous generation class IV lasers, the M6 laser, along with the other MLS lasers, delivers controlled laser energy with accurate dosing and consistent, reproducible results, maintains Cutting Edge Laser Technologies. Specifically, the company shares that the combination of multiple therapeutic wavelengths and synchronization of continuous and pulsed emissions is what sets the M6 and MLS lasers apart from other lasers.

After using an older Nd:Yag laser for six years with mixed results, Melissa J. Lockwood, DPM, DABPM notes her practice purchased an M6 therapy laser in late 2018. Since then, she shares her patients report successful reduction in pain and inflammation with little side effects. Dr. Lockwood points out that some patients experience an increase in pain in the first 24 hours after treatment and stresses the importance of making patients aware of this prior to initiating therapy.

Peter Wishnie, DPM has used the M6 laser for three years for a multitude of patients with significant success.

“The biggest aspect of the laser that I like, besides helping our patients eradicate pain faster, is the fact that it is robotic,” says Dr. Wishnie, who is board-certified by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery. “While one patient is being treated with the laser, I am treating another patient in another room.”

Dr. Lockwood shares that her practice likes to say that “anything with an ‘itis’” benefits from this laser and that she has had some success anecdotally for neuropathic pain as well. She cites patient comfort during treatment and the ability to manage two laser channels through the handpiece and the robotic arm as benefits.

In Dr. Wishnie’s practice, he uses the M6 laser to treat tendinopathies, plantar fasciitis and postoperative patients. He relates finding particular success in cases of Achilles tendonitis.

“Chronic pain (such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis) are two particular diagnoses we see great success with, especially when other treatments fail,” says Dr. Lockwood, a member of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Podiatric Medicine. “The M6 laser is particularly effective for acute pain (i.e. injuries, plantar fasciitis) and in relieving pain and inflammation postoperatively, especially when starting treatment within two weeks of the procedure.” 

In one impactful case, Dr. Wishnie recalls an avid runner who was unable to train for more than one-quarter of a mile without suffering Achilles tendon pain.

“During her training, we administered six treatments with the M6 laser,” recalls Dr. Wishnie, who is in private practice in Piscataway, N.J. “She was able to compete in her half marathon with minimal pain. After the race, she had three more laser treatments, which completely resolved her pain to date.”