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MICROLIGHT – AN “LLLT” PIONEER

The ML830® was first introduced to the FDA in 1990. However, it wasn’t until February 2002 that the FDA granted MicroLight clearance to market the device – the first FDA clearance ever for a Class IIIb laser. The FDA’s ML830® clearance is for the treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or “CTS,” a repetitive-stress injury that damages tissue and nerves in the hand and arm resulting from motions that are repeated many times a day – such as operating a computer keyboard, or the repetitive functions of workers on an automobile assembly line. CTS is the most common repetitive-stress injury and is a leading U.S. workplace injury.

As further background, General Motors had serious problems with CTS among its workers. GM responded by conducting a 36-week double-blind study, using the ML830® to see if non-invasive therapy would help. Among the 166 afflicted GM workers who entered the program, those treated with the ML830® laser showed significant improvement in grip strength and range of motion when compared to other GM workers who were treated with placebo lasers. A prominent medical school in Houston conducted a similar double-blind study on CTS in 1998 that showed a 70% improvement among those patients in the active group.

Recent Developments

A number of practitioners find the ML830® useful in their treatment of patients, either by itself or as a companion modality. Two such advocates of the ML830® are Bernard E. Filner, M.D. of Rockville, Maryland, and Laurence Altshuler, M.D., of Edmond, Oklahoma. Both physicians are members of MicroLight’s Medical Board.

Bernard E. Filner, M.D., has practiced pain relief since 1987. Doctor Filner is certified by the American Academy of Anesthesiology and by the American Academy of Pain Management. One of his pain management articles is available to you in full on our website under News. That article describes Dr. Filner’s successful use of the ML830® and includes this passage concerning the subject of trigger point therapy:

“In my practice, over the past five years, my primary method of inactivating trigger points has become the infra-red low level laser. It is effective, essentially risk free, and less expensive for the patient. In addition, as the energy compounds (cyclic AMP, primarily) produced in the mitochondria and distributed around the cell are increased, the muscle cells will heal faster thus shortening the overall time until symptoms are relieved.”

Larry Altshuler, M.D., a board certified internist with more than 30 years in Alternative Medicine. He practices at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Doctor Altshuler’s book, Balanced Healing, and Arthritis, describes his success in using the ML830® as part of his safe and effective Alternative Therapies. Dr. Altshuler specializes in the evaluation and treatment of chronic pain and chronic diseases.