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Infrared Therapy

We Provide Infrared Therapy for our Harrisburg Patients with Neuropathy


At Blake Chiropractic & Rehabilitation, our goal is to help our patients tend to as many of their health-related needs as possible. In doing so, one condition that we see regularly in our Harrisburg office is neuropathy, for which we provide infrared therapy. What is neuropathy and why is infrared therapy such a great treatment remedy for it?

Neuropathy Defined

Neuropathy is a term that is generally used to refer simply to nerve damage. This means that it is not confined to a single disease or condition, but can actually be related to a number of potential health issues. 

Some of these are disease-related and include diabetes, chronic liver or kidney disease, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, and cancer. Other possible causes of neuropathy include some type of physical trauma, repeated use injury (like with carpal tunnel syndrome), infection, or exposure to various drugs commonly used to treat arrhythmias, high blood pressure, epilepsy, and bipolar disorder.

Symptoms of neuropathy include numbness or tingling in your extremities, muscle weakness or paralysis, pain, sensitivity, and even digestive distress or dizziness. Fortunately, one promising treatment method is infrared therapy, which is why we offer it to our Harrisburg chiropractic and rehabilitation patients.

Infrared Therapy for Neuropathy

Infrared therapy uses wavelengths of light to deliver energy to the affected area, thereby enhancing blood flow and improving circulation, reducing the inflammation, and speeding the healing process. A typical infrared therapy session is roughly 30 minutes in length and is completely painless, which means that you won’t need time to recover as you do with some other forms of treatment available. How well does it work?

In one study, researchers assessed 35 individuals with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Each person engaged in therapeutic exercises and balance training, and one-half of the participants also receiving infrared therapy. At the conclusion of 12 treatment sessions which were spread out over the course of four weeks, the individuals who received infrared therapy reported “statistically significant improvements…for pain, sensation, and balance.”

Another study published in Pain Research & Management involved 40 patients who had each suffered with low back pain for at least six years. After just seven weekly sessions of infrared therapy, the participants who received infrared therapy reported that their back pain decreased, more so than the placebo group. Additionally, no negative side effects were reported.

To find out what infrared therapy can do for your neuropathy, call our Harrisburg chiropractic and rehabilitation office today!

References

Ammar, T. (2012). Monochromatic infrared photo energy in diabetic peripheral neuropathy. ISRN Rehabilitation, vol. 2012, Article ID 484307, 8 pages, doi:10.5402/2012/484307
Gale, G, Rothbart, P, & Li, Y. (2006, Autumn). Infrared therapy for chronic low back pain: A randomized, controlled trial. Pain Research & Management, 11(3), 193-196. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2539004/
MacGill, M. (2015, February 10). What is neuropathy? Neuropathy causes and treatments. Medical News Today. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147963.php
Whitaker, J. (2014, February 14). Infrared light therapy. Retrieved from http://www.drwhitaker.com/infrared-light-therapy