2017 Pain Medicine Conference highlights LED-based photobiomodulation device
At the Pain Medicine Conference, which took place October 19-20, 2017, in San Francisco, CA, LightMD (Cupertino, CA) presented its LED-based photobiomodulation (PBT) device developed in collaboration with Applied BioPhotonics (ABP; San Jose, CA).
Related: Photobiomodulation and the brain: Traumatic brain injury and beyond
Richard K. Williams, CTO of Applied BioPhotonics, spoke on innovation and technology advances empowering LightMD's newest generation medical device for PBT. Joseph Leahy, DC, the San Francisco 49ers football team's chiropractor and an Olympic team doctor, presented a pioneering approach to the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) using LightMD's PBT device. In his talk, Leahy introduced a new class of EEG-based brain biometrics (the LCI concussive index) comprising the novel application of nonlinear mathematical analytics to monitor the brain's organized synaptic activity. Using LCI benchmarking, post-concussion cognitive recovery is measured and correlated to PBT treatment time.
The FDA-approved (in 2015) biophotonic system employs the companies' 3D-bendable LightPads to deliver visible and infrared LED light into treated tissue, fitting to the body's contours to minimize optical refraction and maximize energy coupling and therapeutic efficacy. The photonic system controls over 1000 LEDs with programmable current control (to deliver uniform brightness over a treatment area of up to 1200 cm2) while offering graphical UI-adjustable algorithmic sequencing of LED pulse frequency and spectral wavelength for controlling optical penetration depth and tissue specificity. As a Class II device, the system is rated IEC photobiologically safe by independent lab testing, and does not require safety glasses.
Ongoing research in pain management indicates LED PBT generally outperforms low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for a variety of reasons, such as providing a per-session treatment area 300X that of a laser probe (for example, the ability to treat an entire muscle at one time) and by offering stimulation of the action spectra of CCO one hundred times more broadly than a laser.
To date, the device has received approval for several indicated uses in the U.S., including the purpose of elevating tissue temperature for the temporary relief of minor muscle and joint pain related to arthritis, sprains, strains, and muscle spasms; for relieving back, neck, and shoulder pain as well as stiffness; and for promoting the relaxation of muscle tissue and temporally increasing local blood circulation where applied.
For more information, please visit www.lightmd.com and www.appliedbiophotonics.com.