Attention, podiatrists! Does your practice need a swift kick into higher gear for a better bottom line? A tried and true way of sparking new life into your practice, and a benefit for both your patients and your revenue, is by adding something new to your treatment menu. Red Light/Infrared Therapy is a non-invasive, painless, simple, easy to administer, highly effective, and risk-free healing modality that pairs extremely well with podiatry, and may be just what your practice needs! Here is how Red Light/Infrared Therapy can be used in your clinic.
Pair Podiatry with Red Light/Infrared Therapy
Adding a new healing modality that augments and enhances your podiatric treatments can lead to better patient outcomes, which result in greater patient satisfaction and a wave of positive word of mouth for your practice— which should expand your client numbers and subsequently your revenue, and also make you stand out from the ever-increasing competition.
Red Light/Infrared Therapy works well with podiatry. Red Light/Infrared Therapy quickly increases circulation and relieves pain, making this modality an effective alternative to corticosteroid injections and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for fast-acting pain relief. Through the use of regular light therapy sessions, painful sub-acute and chronic conditions of the lower extremities may prove manageable without surgery.
Expand Your Services
Red Light/Infrared Therapy’s ability to biochemically stimulate the body’s own innate healing processes may augment the benefits of your podiatric treatments, providing greater healing support for the wide range of foot ailments that you see daily with your patients. Studies show that pain in any part of the foot, from the toes to the Achilles tendon and up to the ankle, will respond well to Red Light Therapy, thus ensuring that Red Light/Infrared Therapy can add value to any podiatry practice. Adding Red Light/Infrared Therapy to your treatment menu will allow you to expand your services plus enhance the scope of your therapy for better patient outcomes.
Soothing, Relaxing, and Much More
Patients have described Red Light/Infrared Therapy as relaxing, soothing, and comfortable as the Light Therapy pads work and provide fast relief from pain, stiffness, and soreness. The feel-good nature of Red Light/Infrared Therapy is perfect for soothing an aching foot! But Red Light/Infrared Therapy offers much more. It reliably increases circulation, provides quick and effective pain relief, relaxes muscles, relieves muscle spasms, and relieves the aches and stiffness caused by arthritis — all of which will benefit patients suffering from painful conditions of the lower extremities. Red Light/Infrared Therapy also stimulates and accelerates the body’s own innate healing processes. Red Light/Infrared Light Therapy systems are considered to be Class II Medical Devices, and have been granted FDA clearance.
Red Light/Infrared Therapy Supports Cellular Healing
Wherever a Red/Infrared Light Therapy Pad is placed on the body, photons of light are released which induce cascades of beneficial biochemical processes within the cells, increasing mitochondrial products such as ATP, NADH, protein, and RNA, as well as nitric oxide, which allows for greater circulation. Blood rich in oxygen and nutrients can flow more freely into that local area, reducing pain and supporting the body’s natural healing ability. Increased circulation enables tissues to heal, and nerves to eventually regenerate, which in turn allows for an increase in sensation — which is especially beneficial for patients suffering a lack of sensation in one or both feet.
Uniquely Safe and Risk-Free
Red Light/Infrared Therapy is unique in that it is risk free and can be administered without any concern about safety and negative side effects. According to Dr. Michael R. Hamblin of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, who has studied light therapy extensively, Red Light Therapy has been proven to have “…an almost complete lack of reported adverse effects…”.[1]
Administering Light Therapy is Easy
Because Red Light/Infrared Therapy is so safe and risk-free, patients can be left unattended during their therapy session, allowing you to treat other patients. Administering Red Light/Infrared Therapy is very simple and very easy: therapy pads are placed on or wrapped around the feet or legs, the system is turned on, and the pads do their work. Most Red Light/Infrared Therapy systems will automatically shut off after twenty-minutes, signaling the end of the therapy session. Maintenance is also easy: The therapy pads can be kept clean and sanitary by placing the patient’s foot and ankle in a disposable plastic bag at the start of each therapy session. Or better yet, just wipe down the silicone side with LEDs and you are ready to go with the next patient.
Boost Your Revenue
Red Light/Infrared Therapy can boost the revenue of your podiatry practice in several ways:
- As an add-on to podiatry for an extra fee.
- As a stand-alone treatment option, which may appeal to patients with acute or chronic pain.
- Through sales of Red Light/Infrared Therapy systems to patients for home use.
- Through the development of in-home programs for patients with chronic conditions to help them between office visits. Patients buy their own Red Light/Infrared Therapy system for self-treatment in the convenience of their home.
Light Therapy Pads for Foot Treatment
Energia Medical offers four pads which are perfect for treating foot conditions:
- Energia Medical’s Foot and Ankle 122 Diode Pad:
This uniquely-shaped 3-section pad is flexible and versatile, allowing it to be used in two ways: extended or folded over.
- Energia Medical’s Long Painbuster 180 Diode Pad:
At 16”x 5”, the length of this highly flexible long and narrow pad allows it to be used in several ways: over the top of the foot and under the sole; under the sole, up the heel, and into the calf area; or put both feet on top of the pad to treat the toes or the heels.
- Energia Medical’s Foot & Calf 131 Diode Pad:
This pad can treat the sole of the foot and the back of the calf simultaneously. Conveniently attached Velcro straps wrap over the top of the foot plus around the calf to securely hold the pad in place. Like the Foot and Ankle 122 Diode Pad, this pad can be used in two ways: under the foot and extending up the back of the calf, or folded in half to treat both the top and bottom of the foot. The top section of this pad measures 7”x 9” while the middle to bottom section is 4.5”x 15.5”.
- Energia Medical’s Small 90 Diode Pad:
The size and rectangular shape of this pad make it ideal for foot treatment. Just place the foot on top of the pad, or put the pad over the toes or strap across the ankle with Velcro. At 9.8” x 4.5”, this pad should easily cover the toes, sole, heel, or ankle area.
Summing Up
Doctors of Podiatric Medicine worldwide have found that Red Light/Infrared Therapy is a great partner to podiatry. Red Light/Infrared Therapy can not only provide your patients fast and effective pain relief and accelerate and support their body’s own healing processes, but it can also benefit your clinic’s revenue stream. Red Light/Infrared Therapy systems are surprisingly affordable, plus they offer a fast ROI. For more information on Red Light/Infrared Therapy systems for your podiatry practice, contact Rob at Energia Medical at 860-707-4220.
[1] Hamblin, Michael R. “Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation.” AIMS biophysics vol. 4,3 (2017): 337-361. doi:10.3934/biophy.2017.3.337, p. 14.
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