In
the area of pain treatment, BIOPTRON Light Therapy can be used
as a stand alone or supporting treatment for the following conditions:
-
Soft tissue injures of muscles, tendons and ligaments such as:
muscle spasm, sprains, strains, tendonitis, ligament and muscle
tears, dislocations, contusions, repetitive strain injury RSI
and tennis elbow read more
-
Rheumatism: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (chronic) read
more
- Physiotherapy: low back pain, should and neck pain, carpal tunnel
syndrome, scar tissue, musculoskeletal injuries read more
- Sports medicine: muscle spasm, sprains, strains, tendonitis,
ligament and muscle tears, dislocations, contusions and tennis
elbow read more
A single unit emits a broad range of light wavelengths at a
constant intensity for safe light therapy
Employs innovative
new technology for visible results.
Is a mobile,
easily manageable and maintenance-free device.
Developed and
produced by BIOPTRON AG, Switzerland.
BIOPTRONs
technology is endorsed and used by leading physicians in major
universities and clinics across
five continents.
BIOPTRON
Light Therapy Systems are are specially designed for use in medical
practices, clinics, specialist treatment centres, beauty salons
and for treatment at home for the treatment of :
Soft
tissue injuries
What
is arthritis
- soft tissue injuries
are those that occur in tissues other than bone, such as muscles,
ligaments and tendons. Soft tissue issues can be caused by repeated
overuse or by a single episode of trauma e.g. a sudden jerk a
fall or being hit my an object. Types of soft tissue injury include
sprains, strains, contusions, tendinitis/tenosynovitis and bursitis.
The main symptoms of soft tissue injury are pain and swelling.
Soft tissue injuries are very common and can in some cases cause
significant disability and pain.
What is a sprain?
A sprain is an injury
to a ligament. Ligaments are bands of tissue that connect one
bone to another and are important holding joints together. Sprains
occur when a ligament is overstitched (simple sprain) or torn
(partial tear or complete tear). Common areas are the ankle, knee
and wrist.
What is a strain?
A strain is an injury
to a muscle or tendon. Tendons are bands of tissue that connect
muscles to bones. Muscles and tendons provide support and stabilise
joints. Strains occur when muscles and/or tendons are overstretched
or torn and, as with sprains, a tear can be partial or complete
areas commonly trained include the upper arm, elbow, thigh, knee,
angle, abdomen and groin.
As
with sprains and strains they are often common in people involved
in sport. Activities such as gardening, manual labour and lifting
heavy objects. The symptoms and treatment of a strain are similar
to those described for sprains (see above).
What
is a contusion?
A contusion is a bruise i.e. bleeding into the tissues without
breaking the skin surface. As the blood pools around the injured
area it discolours the tissue, making appear dark purple/black.
Within a few days or weeks the blood in the bruised area is broken
down by the body and changes colour, going from purple to green
and then yellow.
Contusions
are caused by an object hitting the body and they can occur in
many situations such as gardening, building, cleaning etc. Also
they are very common in playing contact sports such as football,
rugby, judo, boxing, wrestling etc.
The
symptoms of a contusion are pain and swelling and dependent on
the severity of the injury. Most contusions are mild and responds
to simple measures such as rest ice packs compression and elevation.
What
is tendinitis (tenosynovitis)Tendinitis
is inflammation around a tendon and tenosynovitis is inflammation
of the sheath covering the tendon. Both conditions are caused
by overuse or overloading of the tendon. Tendinitis is often seen
in sports people and examples include damage to the knee tendon
(patellar tendon) or to the tendon at the back of of the lower
leg/ankle (Achilles tendon).
Tenosynovitis
is commonly caused by repetitive actions such as typing, working
on an assembly line and usually affects the hands are arms. They
symptoms of both tendinitis and tenosynovitis are pain, stiffness,
numbness and weakness in the affected joint. Tendinitis is usually
considered more painful than tenosynovitis and results in a greater
restriction of movement.
Symptoms
improve after rest but then return on reuse of the joints. Treatment
usually involves rest, although drugs may be prescribed to reduce
pain and inflammation. On rare occasions the continued use of
the inflamed tendon may cause it to rupture which may require
surgical repair.
What
is bursitis? Bursitis
is inflammation of the bursa which is a small fluid-filled sack
located between muscle/tendons and a bond. It serves to reduce
the friction in a joint by allowing the tendon to move smoothly
over the bone. Bursitis is usually caused by repeated overuse
of a joint and is often found in people with tendinitis.
Common
sites for bursitis are the elbow, knee and heel. Elbow bursitis
can occur after trauma to the arm, however there is no precipitating
cause to be found. Knee bursitis is commonly seen in people who
spend a lot of time kneeling e.g. carpet fitters. Bursitis of
the heel occurs in people with arthritis and is also found in
runners and ballet dancers.
The
symptoms of bursitis are mainly pain which gets worse with movement
and swelling. Bursitis is treated with rest and anti-inflammatory
drugs and in severe cases may occasionally require the surgical
removal of the bursa.
Repetitive
Strain Injury (RSI) In
certain types of soft tissue injury such as tendinitis/tenosynovitis
and bursitis are becoming increasingly common mainly due to the
widespread use of computers and these three conditions are now
a part of a group of disorders called Repetitive Strain Injury
RSI also called Work Related Upper Limb Disorders or WRULDs. RSI
also includes injuries to ligaments such as tennis elbow and nerve
damage such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
RSI
has a hugh impact on society by causing many people to take time
off work or even leave their job permanently. RSI is estimated
to cost the UK between 5 to 20 billion pounds per year in medical
treatment, lost income and lost productivity. One in every 50
workers in the UK report suffering from RSI.
What
is tennis elbow?
What
is arthritis - Tennis
elbow is the name given to pain occurring in the outside area
of the elbow (also know as lateral elbow pain, rowing elbow and
lateral epicondylitis).
Who gets tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow is one
of the commonest arm lesions seen by doctors. It occurs in 1.3%
of the population usually in men and women between the age of
40-60.
What are the causes of tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow is caused
by damage to the tendon that joins the muscles in the lower arm
(extensor muscles) to the bone of the upper arm (humerus). This
tendon is anchored to the area of bone on the outside of the elbow
(lateral epicondyle of the humerus). Tendon damage can occur in
two ways 1] by a single episode of trauma e.g being hit on the
arm or 2] by repeated overuse of the arm. Common activities that
can result in tennis elbow include manual applications in building
work, house maid/cleaners, car mechanics, gardening, sports activities
focusing on repeated throwing, swimming, tennis or golf.
What
are the common treatments for tennis elbow?
Symptoms tend to develop slowing and commonly occur in the arm
of the dominant hand with the main symptom of pain in the outside
area of the elbow although some people also have pain in the surrounding
muscle areas. Grip in the hand is often reduced due to the pain
which therefore reduces daily activities such as carrying shopping,
working and using certain tools.
What
treatment is available for tennis elbow? If
treated as soon as the symptoms appear the condition is more likely
to heal quickly. Resting the arm is important but may difficult
for many people particularly if their employment relies on its
use. Mild cases of tennis elbow can be treated at home using ice
pack, a brace or sling to support the arm and/or simple pain reliving
medicines.
Moderate cases may require further treatment from the family doctor
such as the prescription of stronger pain killers and/or referral
for physical therapy. Physical therapy reduces pain and improves
the muscle strength and includes therapeutic exercises, massage,
ultrasound, heat therapy and low power laser light therapy. More
severe cases of tennis elbow may require surgery.
Most cases of tennis elbow normally improve within a few weeks
or months however prolonged pain and discomfort can occur in a
minority of cases with symptoms lasting up to several years. Manual
workers are particularly prone to have a recurrence of the condition
as they tend to resume the work that caused the initial injury.
Treatment
The BIOPTRON Light Therapy System is believed to reduce pain sensation
in several ways. By improving local blood supply and reducing
muscle spasm - reducing the release of chemicals that stimulate
pain receptors (this is termed an anti-inflammatory effect) -
inducing the release of the body's natural pain killing agents
called endorphins - and a direct action on nerve fibers to prevent
transmission of pain impulses to the brain. Therefore the application
of BIOPTRON Light Therapy over the injured area e.g. the elbow
helps reduce pain and discomfort.
CARPAL
TUNNEL SYNDROME
is caused by compression of a nerve in the wrist called the median
nerve. The median nerve provides sensation to part of the palm
and fingers (thumb, index and middle fingers, part of the ring
finger) and alsop controls movement in certain muscles in the
thumb. When the nerve is compressed it cannot function normally
with resulting loss of sensationa and movement in the hand.
The
carpal tunnel is a narrow anatomical passageway on the palm side
of the wrist, formed by the small bones of the wrist and a fibrous
ligament the carpal ligament. Tendons from the muscles used to
bend the fingers/hand pass through this tunnel, accompanied by
the median nerve. Any swelling in the tissues around the carpal
tunnel can press on the median nerve and cause carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carpal
tunnel syndrome is faily common and it occurs in around 1-3% of
the population. It is more common in women as they have narrower
wrists, particularly in women aged over 40. It is a conditon that
also occurs in men.
Some
common causes for the condition include injury to the wrist as
a result of a sprain or fracture, after a bone infection or tendons
of the hand/wrist or in association with bone diseases such as
arthritis or gout. The condition can also be due to retention
of fluid within the carpal tunnel caused by pregnancy, menopause,
kidney failure or an underactive thyroid. Othere conditions associated
with carpal tunnel syndrome include diabetes, obesity and the
use of oral contraceptive pills. Although many diseases are associated
with carpal tunnel syndrome most people who have the condition
have no identifiable cause.
Common
Symptoms are where carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms occur in the
dominant hand but for some people they develop symptoms in both
hands. Tingling, aching or numbness occur in the area of the hand
but in some cases this can also occur in the arm and/or shoulder.
The symptoms are worse at night and may interupt sleep. I severe
cases the muscles of the tumb can weaken and shrink. Certain movements
of the wrist will worsen the symtoms of carpal tunnel syndrome
including hold a book or newspaper, gripping the steering wheel
of a car and the use of certain tools such as knives for cutting
meat.
What
are the treatments available? Simple treatments include the use
of ice packs, resting the hand/wrist and the use of splints to
keep the wrist straight. Certain pain killing druges can reduce
swelling called non-steriodial anti-inflammatory agents and decrease
the symptoms in a small number of sufferers however these drugs
also have possible side effects such as nausea, irrittaion of
the stomach lining.
In
severe cases the doctor will adminsiter a steriodal injection
into the wrist area to reduce swelling. However this treatment
can only be given once or twice to provide temparary relief. Doctors
can prescribe stronger drugs to reduce pain. If none of these
treatments have a demonstrable effect then surgery to cut the
carpal ligament and enlarge the carpal tunnel is then necessary.
BIOPTRON
FIGHTS AGAINST RHEUMATISM
BIOPTRON
Light Therapy in the treatment of rheumatic diseases can help
to :
- Relieve
pain and decrease its intensity
- Strengthen
muscles and expand body motion
- Increase
walking distance and speed
- Improve
quality of sleep
(13,
14)
BIOPTRON
Light
Therapy helps
to alleviate pain and disability in patietns suffering from various
forms of rheumatism. This therapy can be the ideal complimentary
treatment method for a variety of pain management pgorammes. Its
beneficial influence can affect the patients general condition
and can bring relief from pain symptoms. (12,18)
Rheumatoid
Arhritis Light Therapy can be an effective complementary treatmetn
for relieving paind improving the quality of life in patients
with rheumatoid arthritis (19,20)
Rheumatoid
arthritis is a chronic, multisystem disease. Although there is
a variety of systemic manifestations, the characteristic feature
of this form of arthritis is persistent inflammation of joints,
causing cartilage destruction and bone erosion and subsequently
permanent joint deformaties.
In
centres specialising in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid
arthritis, BIOPTRON Light Therapy has become part of the standard
therapuetic procedures during hospitilzation. This form of light
therapy can be also be used by patients in their home to control
pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
BIOPTRION
KEEPS ATHLETES ON TRACK
BIOPTRON
Light accelerates tissue regeneration helping athletes to shorten
the healing time of various sports injuries.
BIOPTRON
Light Therapy can help athletes to:
- Bring
relief to aching muscles
- Soothe
muscle and joint pain
- Increase
the range of active and passive movements of joints
- Allow
quicker recovery of muscular and joint activity
- Support
the treatment of painful sports injuries such as tendon problems,
muscle problems, contusions, dislocations, strains, sprains,
abrasions and bruises
- reduce
inflammations and swellings
Different
sports injuries can be treated with BIOPTRON Light Therapy in
order to accelerate tissue regeneration and healing. (16,17) >>back
to top
read
more
|