Dr. Riley:
Here at Tula Spinal Rehab, we’re always looking at adding new technology, different forms of conservative treatment options we may have for different types of pain, chronic, acute, shoulder problems, low back, whatever the case may be. We’ve used a low level laser for many, many years, and I’m excited to announce the addition of some new technology, CureWave Laser. We are adding to the clinic. I’m here with Mark Osborne. Mark is with Zeal Works. He’s an authorized distributor for CureWave. Mark, do you just, tell me a little bit about CureWave technology?
Mark Osborne:
Sure. Dr. Riley. As you know, laser technology is not new to the medical market, but it has been vastly improved upon much like cellular technology has over the past 10 to 15 years. What is happening with laser technology is they’re harnessing the power of the laser through a photo modulation process, harnessing that energy to penetrate into the human body to heal. As you know, we’re all made up of just mass cell tissue.
Dr. Riley:
Right.
Mark Osborne:
Laser technology triggers and really targets the mitochondria in the cell, which is the powerhouse to each of the cell tissue. It promotes healing. It promotes new cell growth, which in turn helps eliminate pain, heal up wounded areas and basically improve the life of a patient by healing a problem area, whatever that may be. Whatever the injury is.
Dr. Riley:
Right, reduces inflammation. And if I’m not mistaken, you talked about the mitochondria, it also kind of allows the body to heal itself, correct?
Mark Osborne:
That’s correct.
Dr. Riley:
It empowers the body to start to heal itself, and that’s what we’re all after. I mean that’s kind of like the golden goose so to speak, is that if we reduce interferences and allow our body to take care of himself, that’s fantastic. What, because there’s all kinds of different technology. Like, I had mentioned, we’ve had one for many, many years. Could you just briefly discuss the difference of the CureWave compared to some of the other technology out there?
Mark Osborne:
Sure. We use a patented process in the delivery device, and the key to what makes CureWave so unique and successful is that it’s an off the skin type delivery device. Now, what that means to the patient is rather than a laser which sits on the top of the dermis, epidermis, which does not allow for an increased wattage, which does not allow for a deeper penetration, but by taking it through the patented process off the skin, we’re able to diffuse the live beam so that it doesn’t damage the surface tissue of the skin, but allows for deep penetration into the soft tissue up to 15 centimeters. By doing that, it allows increased histamines, endorphins, and blood flow. As well as we said earlier, it impacts the mitochondria and the cell tissue. So by getting up to 15 centimeters, we’re able to treat areas such as shoulders, thighs, backs, knees from head to toe that the other lasers, surface lasers aren’t able to reach.
Dr. Riley:
And, you didn’t mention that it’s also very safe in that you’re not, once again, we’re not contacting the skin. So, patient to patient, you’re not worried about sanitizing the unit and so forth. We’re always, I mean, that was one of the very appealing things that kind of took me down this path with you guys. It’s so very different than a lot of the other technologies out there. What are some common types of conditions that would be good for this type of laser?
Mark Osborne:
Well, I’m going to say head to toe, and I started with neck injuries, shoulders, frozen shoulders, rotator cuff, also wrist injuries, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, tennis elbow. Then we move into the back area, anywhere from upper back to lower back, sciatic, hip injuries, muscle injuries. We’ve treated thighs, knees, feet, plantar fasciitis. I just go from head to toe. Basically anything that’s a soft tissue related injury, a laser will affect and potentially can heal.
Dr. Riley:
Yeah, it is funny. When I was demoing the product and I think the first three patients that we treated, we were seeing quite a few tennis players, so lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow, the response was fantastic. Plantar fasciitis, I saw an Achilles tendonitis or tendinopathy patient. And then obviously as a chiropractor, I see a lot of low back, and I’ve been really, really pleased to see the outcomes from my low back patients. Not only the acute, those injuries that have been going for two to three days, but the longer lasting injuries of six to eight months. Quickly, I’m curious, you obviously believe in the technology, you’re a distributor, you use the laser. Do you have a success story or two that you could maybe share?
Mark Osborne:
Sure. I think one in particular, 40 year old female runner happens to be a physical therapist. She was facing a third knee surgery, first when she was in high school, second when she was in mid-twenties. Her knee was going out and she just said, “I am through a surgery.” She heard about the laser, came to us, and we treated. Probably after three treatments, she started seeing an increased range of motion. Now being a physical therapist, she was going back to her office and measuring her increased range of motion. So, she was seeing firsthand what it could do. Fourth treatment, fifth treatment, sixth, by the seventh treatment, she was already doing her normal activities, which she hasn’t been able to do for six months. By the eighth treatment, she was able to participate in a 5K, and she comes back now for routine maintenance once every couple of weeks.
Dr. Riley:
That’s fantastic.
Mark Osborne:
Great story. I have one more too. That’s really neat. Neuropathy.
Dr. Riley:
Sure.
Mark Osborne:
75 year old male, former sheriff.
Dr. Riley:
So for you patients, neuropathy is any type of numbness, tingling, sometimes we see it in diabetic neuropathy, all kinds of conditions, but we’re typically going to see it in the bottom of the feet or the hands.
Mark Osborne:
In this particular case, it was his legs, both his legs, and he had a goal last year. He started coming in late spring and he was going to Montana sometime in the 1st of July. His goal was to be able to get in his car, he and his wife, and drive to Montana. And, he was driving two hours one way for treatments, so four hours round trip and doing this twice a week. And after about a month and a half, he started having his feeling returned to his leg. So, he came in on a cane. He was now starting to walk out without the cane and within two and a half months he was in his car, and he was headed to Montana. I’ve seen him maybe two or three times since then.
But, that’s a case of really something, all the medication, the doctors that he was going to said, “All you need to do is just take medicine. There’s nothing else we can do for you, no surgery, anything.” He was at the end of his rope and wanted to get better and the laser returned his feeling, stimulating those cell tissue and the blood flow and the endorphins, and he was able to walk normal, and he’s been back to normal life ever since then.
Dr. Riley:
That’s fantastic, and I think that’s, you mentioned the pain-free drug-free, or pardon me, the drug-free approach, the non-surgical. A lot of patients are wanting those options. A lot of patients are tired of taking the pain medications and potentially trying to avoid surgery. So, that’s what I’m really excited about with this technology. So Mark, thank you for sharing those stories with us. I’m very excited to offer CureWave Laser here at Tulsa Spine Rehab now. It is up and going. It’s a modality that we’re currently using, so come check us out.
Mark Osborne:
Thank you Dr. Riley.
Dr. Riley:
Thank you.
Mark Osborne:
Yeah.
