Laser therapy

By
Faisal Mehboob

Introduction
LASER

[Light amplification of stimulated Emission of Radiation]

Laser is defined as the

production of a beam of a radiation

which differ from the ordinary light in several ways.

In 1960, Dr theodre Miaman of Hughes Laboratory Of USA

produced first burst of ruby lasers.

Properties of Laser
1. Monochromaticity ! It means that the laser light has a single color
(mono single, chromaticity coloration. It is because laser are of a
single wavelength and thus definite freq. ordinary light however has
many wavelength.
2. Coherence ! Laser radiations are not of the same wavelength but
also has same phase. Coherence means similar or synchronous
behavior of laser beam.
3. Collimation ! Laser beams remain collimated that means they
remain in parallel. They do not diverge much and the energy can be
propagated over a larger distance.

Production of Laser
Electrons of an individual atom remain as a cloud of negative charge around
the positive nucleus.
According to quantum theory, electrons can only occupy certain energy
levels or shells around the nucleus.
If enough energy is added to atom, an outer electron may gain sufficient
energy to free itself from nucleus.
Atom then becomes a positively charged iron and electron becomes a free
negative charge.
When outer electrons are in one of higher energy states, they will tend to
return to a lower energy state, sometimes to the most stable or ground state.
A large number of atoms with electrons in excited state can lead to
amplification since one Photon releases a second and these two can release
more and so on.

Components for Laser production

Lasing medium

Resonating chamber

The material which is capable of

producing laser is know as lasing
medium. E.g. Helium-neon or
semiconductor like galliumarsenide.

The resonating chamber contains

lasing medium which is
surrounded by two parallel
mirrors at either ends.
One of the mirrors has 100%
reflectance while other has
slightly less reflectance.

Energy source

A flashgun is used to excite the

electrons of the lasing medium.
The source of flashgun is usually
current electricity.

Types of Laser
Ruby Laser (Crystal Laser)
Ruby laser is also known as crystal laser
because it contains synthetic ruby as a
lasing medium.
The xenon tube is used to give intense
flash of white light which excites ruby
molecules and raises electron to a higher
energy level. As the excited state is
unstable, the electrons return to ground
state by releasing a photon. This is known
as Spontaneous emission.
The rate of supply of energy exceeds to a
greater extent which leads to a large
number of atoms at higher energy levels.
This is known as population inversions.

Helium-neon laser (Gas laser)

This laser consist of a mixture of
primarily helium and neon in a low
pressure tube.
This low pressure tube is surrounded
by a flashgun which excites atom to a
higher energy level.
Thus photon released by the
spontaneous emission and have a
wavelength of 632.8nm.

Diode Laser (semiconductor Laser)

Gsallium and arsenide are used

as a diode or semiconductor to
produce an infrared invisible
laser with a wavelength of
904nm.
The advantage of semiconductor
laser diode is that these can
either emit a continuous or
pulsed output.

Techniques of application
Grid method
The treatment area is divided
into a grid each of 1 square cm.
The hand held applicator should
be in light contact with skin and
directly perpendicular to the
target tissue.
Each square cm is stimulated for
a specific period of time.

Scanning method
No contact is made between the tip of
laser and patients skin.
The tip of applicator is held at a
distance of 5 to 10mm.
Since the divergence of beam occurs,
there is a decrease in the amount of
energy applied as the distance
increases.

Dosage parameters
Wavelength
It depends on the lasing
medium used.
For superficial conditions like
wounds and ulcers, visible red
laser is used.
For deep conditions of muscles
and bones, infrared laser is
used.

Power
Power output is measured in
Watts.
Since the power output of laser
beam used therapeutically is
quite small, mW is generally
used.

Energy
The energy delivered to the
treatment tissue is expressed in
Joules. It is calculated by
followed by following equation.
Energy= power * time

Hemorrhagic areas or
cardiac condition
Laser can cause vasodilatation
and hence care should be taken
while exposing any hemorrhagic
area.
Patient of certain cardiac
conditions are avoided the
exposure of laser therapy
surround the cardiac region.

For More Notes and Past Papers of

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