Healing Chronic Neck Pain With Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) / Photobiomodulation (PBM)

By Shannon Bowman
Director of Create Balance Laser Therapy

Photo by Jesper Aggergaard on Unsplash

My neck pain started in 2014. It began as just a little pain, every now and then. However it soon progressed to constant pain by 2015. The pain I felt started to consume my thoughts and my mood was impacted on a daily basis. Some of the symptoms I felt on a daily basis included:

• Tingling down the right side of my neck
• Numbness that moved up and down my neck and the right side of my face 
• Pressure in my right ear 
• Constant aching and throbbing pain
• Headaches almost daily 
• Restricted movement (neck could not move far to the right)
• Weakness (my head felt heavy all the time)

With my health declining and stress levels rising due to the pain I was in, I tried many different therapies. I spent thousands of dollars in an attempt to fix my constant neck pain. Here’s is a list of what I tried:

• Chiropractor- This helped loosen my muscles but did not change the pain.
• Osteopathy - This helped loosen my muscles but did not change the pain.
• Neck traction - This did not help. 
• Acupuncture – No noticeable difference for pain but it did help with mood and energy. 
• Physiotherapy – This helped my body’s range of movement but it did not help my pain. 
• Yoga and Qi gong - This helped with my mental health but it did not change my pain.

At the end of 2016, I was feeling hopeless and in constant pain. I experienced headaches most days. I was busy studying and working, but it was becoming extremely challenging. Every chance I got I had to lie down because the pain was too much to handle. Some of my coping strategies were: 

• Lying down as much as I could
• Using a special pillow
• Holding my head up with my arm to reduce the load
• Wearing a cervical collar
• Researching and trying new therapies all the time
• Attending doctors’ appointments, getting X-Rays and an MRI

​In November 2016, I began exploring another therapeutic approach; one which showed promising results in all the peer reviewed research. It was called Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) or Cold Laser Therapy. It is now known in the medical field as Photobiomodulation (PBM). 
Photobiomodulation laser therapy has shown to be an effective approach to reducing pain for both acute and chronic injuries. Laser therapy is a safe, painless and non-invasive therapy and is changing the way that painful injuries are treated.  

Initially I had doubts about getting results from laser therapy because I had tried so many other options and nothing had worked. I completed 12 sessions of laser and to my surprise, my pain reduced from debilitating constant pain (6-8 out of 10 pain all day, everyday) to having NO pain, with only a little flare up every now and then, which was hardly noticeable. 

I’m now a huge advocate of Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), Cold Laser Therapy and Photobiomodulation (PBM). I have first hand experience of this life changing therapy and I am passionate about supporting others who also experience chronic pain. I sourced one of the best laser systems in the world for my clinic - the Physio Laser from RJ-LASER in Germany - and I am so pleased to be able to help make positive changes to the lives of my clients. Please reach out via email or call the clinic if you have any questions about how laser therapy could help you.