Does It Really Work?

My name is Dennis Riney and I am the founder of Premier Physical Therapy. Over the last two years, we have had the opportunity to introduce something new to our clinics called Class IV deep tissue laser therapy. One of the questions I hear most often is:, “Does it really work?” The results are in…YES! I have waited two years so I could tell our own story. I have gathered the data. Not only that, I see it and hear it every day in the clinic! The patients love it and they’re telling others about it.  We have hundreds of documented improved outcomes when using our Class IV deep tissue laser.  We track every patient who receives laser therapy as part of their physical therapy treatment plan and we survey patients when completing their program. The vast majority of the surveys indicate improvement in pain and function and the average 5-scale score is 4.75. 

Now in my 27th year of being a physical therapist, I’ve not seen a better compliment to physical therapy than this laser. I can assure you that I am very diligent in my research of all treatment that we provide, because my reputation and your trust truly matter to me. My goal is simple: that you feel better, that you are happy with your care, and that referring providers feel confident sending their patients to us. Patients are looking to feel better fast. Some are looking for a way to get “over the hump” if other treatments have not worked for them, and they find what they’re looking for with the deep tissue laser.  

So what exactly is deep tissue laser therapy?

First, it is not “red-light therapy.” Red-light is superficial in nature and has not been shown to decrease pain or inflammation to the level of our Class IV deep tissue laser. Also, our laser is not a cold-laser or low-level laser (LLLT), again not proven. Our Class IV deep tissue laser goes to the cellular level to decrease pain and decrease inflammation- fast. Under the umbrella of PBM (photobiomodulation) some of the major benefits of our deep-tissue laser are the increase in circulation by way of nitric oxide production and increases the production of ATP within the mitochondria. Our high powered (25-40W) lasers are needed to deliver the light deep into the tissue. The science behind it and its proven success encouraged me to offer this treatment to our patients. The laser is used for orthopedic conditions such as arthritis, tendonitis, ligament injures, sprains, pre/post-surgical, chronic pain and nerve involvement. We’ve also found success treating acute and chronic low-back pain. The most popular regions treated are the knee, low-back, and shoulder. 

We are excited to be the first to bring this advanced technology to our community – treatment that was formally only used with high-level athletes. Our particular laser (LightForce) is the same one that is used by over 250 NFL, MLB (including the St. Louis Cardinals), NBA, and division one collegiate programs. At Premier Physical Therapy, we have many of success stories from current and former patients that have received laser treatment, like this one, “I found that the deep tissue laser therapy in conjunction with my other treatment and exercise was very helpful and beneficial to my progress within a short period of time.” – J. Tanner

Thank you for trusting Premier Physical Therapy. I’m very honored to serve patients and families throughout Cape Girardeau, Jackson, and Advance, Missouri. We, at Premier Physical Therapy, are committed to providing orthopedic, spine, and hand therapy at the highest level through our compassionate and highly skilled team- so you can rest assured that you are truly receiving the best care possible.

God bless,

Dennis Riney, PT, Founder of Premier Physical Therapy