Osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, shoulder, and spine causes chronic joint pain and stiffness that limits daily activity. Class IV Laser Therapy is one of the most studied non-pharmaceutical approaches for reducing arthritis pain and improving joint function without injections or surgery. OKC Pain Relief offers it in Edmond and serves patients throughout the OKC metro.
Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage that cushions the surfaces inside a joint wears down over time. As cartilage thins, the joint loses its shock-absorbing capacity. Bone surfaces begin to contact each other during movement, and the joint capsule and surrounding tissue become chronically inflamed.
The pain from osteoarthritis is a combination of mechanical pain from the bone contact, and inflammatory pain from the body's ongoing response to joint damage. Standard treatments, NSAIDs, cortisone injections, and eventually joint replacement, address one or both of these but carry limitations with long-term use.
Class IV laser therapy addresses the inflammatory component directly. Photobiomodulation has been studied extensively for knee osteoarthritis and shows consistent effects on pain reduction and improved range of motion. For spinal arthritis affecting the facet joints, laser therapy is frequently combined with decompression therapy when disc involvement is also present.
Laser therapy is not a replacement for joint replacement in end-stage arthritis. It is most effective for moderate osteoarthritis where pain and function can still be meaningfully improved.
Class IV laser therapy is the primary treatment for peripheral joint arthritis at OKC Pain Relief. The laser is applied directly over the affected joint, knee, hip, shoulder, using protocols calibrated to the depth of the target tissue and the stage of the condition. Sessions run 5 to 15 minutes and require no recovery time.
Learn MoreFor spinal arthritis that coexists with disc degeneration, combining decompression therapy with laser therapy addresses both the mechanical compression and the inflammatory component. This is common in patients with lumbar facet arthritis and DDD presenting together.
Learn MoreA free consultation lets us evaluate your joint and tell you whether laser therapy can make a meaningful difference for your level of arthritis.
Individual results vary. Treatment is recommended only after clinical evaluation.