Laser therapy, Class 1, 3B or 4?

Therapeutic lasers on the market today include the Class 1, Class 3B and Class 4. These classes essentially refer to the differences in the laser’s power, or how quickly it can deliver a certain number of joules, or units of energy, to inflamed or traumatized cells. Class 1 takes the longest amount of time; Class 4 takes the shortest.

The class is determined by how many milliwatts of power the laser has

The set group of recognized therapeutic wavelengths runs from about 650 to 1,000 nanometers, with the higher the number giving the deeper penetration, she says. Laser companies acquire particular wavelengths after they’re no longer used in military applications.

“The laser companies end up buying patents on wavelengths,” Van Dyck says. “When the military decides it doesn’t really have a use for wavelength 608, for instance, it will release the patent for that wavelength and the therapeutic laser manufacturers pick them up.”

Besides power and wavelength, the length of time the laser is applied to the cell makes a difference, too, Riegel says.

“I can take a laser pointer from Staples and if I hold it onto the joint of your little finger, I could probably treat it, but it will take a day and a half,” Riegel says. “But a higher-powered laser will shorten your treatment time by providing more photons to saturate the target tissues.”

And that’s where class comes into play. An equine veterinarian may not have time to spend two hours treating one horse’s back using a lower-powered Class 3B laser, Riegel says. But if she uses a higher-powered model, like a Class 4, she could get it done faster.   

Because much of the research on therapeutic lasers has been done using a Class 3B laser, Van Dyck says she recommends those to her veterinary students.

“The Class 3 laser is where the research has been done, and they have great efficacy and great safety, so from a teaching standpoint that’s where I want to be,” she says.

Riegel prefers the power of a Class 4, explaining, “With the evolution of the Class 4 laser with more power behind it, you’re now able to supply enough photons at the right wavelength to penetrate deeply into the target, whatever your target is, whether it’s a spine or joint or something else.

"Properly trained personnel administering in a proper way are not going to cause damage.”

As manufacturers of classes 1, 3B and 4 lasers refine their devices to offer the broadest range of therapeutic benefits, they all agree that light therapy is the wave of the future, and they’ve been making investments in their designs.

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Lucien

Sales manager