Get Fast Pain Relief and Healing With MLS Laser Therapy

An Annapolis Foot Doctor Explains How Pain-Free MLS Laser Therapy Boosts Your Body’s Own Healing Abilities

Multiwave Locked System (MLS) laser therapy is a conservative, non-invasive intervention cleared by the FDA for use in podiatry. Laser therapy has been around since the late 1960s, but has continued to be studied and refined over time.

At Annapolis Foot & Ankle Center, we have three clinics in Central Maryland, and our foot and ankle specialists take pride in staying up to date on the latest therapies, treatments, and techniques to help our patients achieve better health. Here’s how MLS laser therapy might help you.

An Overview of MLS Laser Therapy

Podiatrists use laser therapy to treat soft-tissue foot and ankle injuries among patients of all ages. The multiwave locked system uses light of specific wavelengths emitted from a laser to encourage a more natural healing process. Studies indicate that laser therapy reduces pain and inflammation by helping your body do what it naturally does, only better. MLS laser therapy penetrates deep within the tissue of the foot, rejuvenating different types of cells, increasing vascular function, stimulating enzyme production, and prompting collagen formation to reduce scar tissue.

Because our practice uses a “locked” system that limits the spectrum of light the lasers emit, it’s safer and doesn’t cause thermal injuries typically caused by extensive heat.

Medications may only mask symptoms without actually treating your condition and often create a cycle of pain, requiring prolonged use. MLS laser therapy, on the other hand, actually addresses the underlying causes of pain and inflammation to resolve the problem. It can sometimes even help with repairing nerve damage.

Benefits of MLS Laser Therapy

There are many aspects of this procedure that our Central Maryland patients appreciate, some of which include:

• It prevents surgery in many cases
• No known complications
• No required recovery time, so patients can return to regular activity right away
• Quick, convenient outpatient treatments, that typically last 10-15 minutes, a couple of times per week
• May be combined with other interventions, such as physical therapy, massage, electrotherapy, and surgery, to maximize results
• An 85–90 percent success rate in treating both chronic and acute pain
• Blocking pain receptors to decrease nerve sensitivity, reduce swelling, and produce endorphins (the brain’s “feel good” chemicals), to relieve pain naturally
• Rapid relief of symptoms
• Reducing the growth of scar tissue at injury sites
• Helping the body to build new blood vessels faster, which promotes faster healing
• Improved collagen production, which also increases healing speed
• Reducing or eliminating the need for potentially habit-forming medications, and thereby reducing the chances of drug interactions and side effects
• Replacing painful injections that may only offer temporary relief
• Lasting results that typically continue far beyond the duration of treatment

What Conditions Does MLS Laser Therapy Treat?

At Annapolis Foot & Ankle Center, we rely on this technology to help heal numerous soft tissue injuries such as: 

• Sprains
• Strains
• Plantar fasciitis
• Injuries to the Achilles tendon
• Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Bursitis
• Tendonitis
• Foot neuromas
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Sports injuries
• Hematomas
• Gout
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome
• Stiffness and swelling after surgery
• Wounds from playing sports
• Chronic foot pain

Additionally, some foot conditions resulting from diabetes, such as foot ulcers, respond well to MLS laser therapy, helping you avoid more serious medical concerns.

When MLS Laser Therapy Isn’t Advised

As with any other medical intervention, MLS therapy isn’t for everyone. A contraindication is a specific situation in which a procedure or medication shouldn’t be used because it might be harmful. So we might not recommend this approach if the following contraindications apply. 

• The tissue is known or suspected to be cancerous.
• You had a recent steroid injection in your foot.
• You take anticoagulant medications to help with blood clotting.
• You’re on a medication that increases your sensitivity to sunlight.
• You’re pregnant
• You tested positive for HIV.

If you’re not a good candidate for laser therapy, we’ll help you identify other ways to manage your foot and ankle-related medical concerns. Our clinics have been offering personalized care to patients in and around Annapolis for 30 years, so you can trust that we know how to help.

Stopping MLS Laser Therapy

Generally, our patients find laser therapy helpful, and they want to continue until their issue is entirely resolved. However, for people who decide to stop laser therapy before they’ve reaped the full benefits of treatment, there’s no worsening of symptoms from ending earlier than planned. You can choose to stop laser therapy treatments at any time.

How the Health Professionals at Annapolis Foot & Ankle Center Support Faster Recovery Without Medications

Due to our persistence in staying abreast of the latest developments, we frequently receive referrals from providers at Anne Arundel Medical Center and have been featured as Top Docs in What’s Up? Annapolis magazine. 

Our board-certified skilled podiatry professionals offer a wide range of evidence-based treatment options to help our patients manage their conditions. If you’re wondering if MLS laser therapy is right for you, our foot doctors in Annapolis, Stevensville, and Glen Burnie are happy to schedule a time to thoroughly examine your feet, obtain a comprehensive medical and treatment history, and discuss various treatment options available to help you. If MLS laser therapy seems like it could be a good fit, we’ll discuss a more specific recommended course of treatment to give you an idea of how many sessions we expect you to need and the overall duration required for completion.  

Should you have questions or concerns following your appointment, our doctors provide you with their cell phone numbers so you always have a way to reach us. We want you to have the utmost confidence in your care and our dedication to your health.