by Sarah Anderson

We don’t realize how much we use a part of our body until it starts to hurt. While medication exists to help manage pain, sometimes the adverse side effects outweigh the benefits or the medication simply isn’t enough to fully treat the pain. Enter Prism Pain Relief, an emerging pain relief clinic in Grand Rapids that hopes to change the way we manage pain.

Prism Pain Relief is a high power, deep tissue laser therapy clinic and is the first of its kind in Grand Rapids. How exactly does a laser help with pain?

Brian Butzier, Laser Technician at Prism Pain Relief Centers, explains, “The process starts with focusing visible and near-infrared light energy into enzymes within your cells. Our laser apparatus utilizes its devoted handpiece which causes the light to condense or focus and makes it possible to use effective wavelengths for maximum results. We are lucky to have the ability to choose between the most effective wavelengths.”

The infrared light energy causes a reaction that helps the body heal itself.

“When shining the light energy to a localized area, the light penetrates deep into the tissues of the body, causing an effect known as vasodilation,” Butzier divulged. “This term means the light will actually open up your veins and capillaries to let more blood flow happen — in with the good, out with the bad. The blood itself is a vessel to rid the body of toxins, wastes, and unhealthy cells as well as mitigates inflammation.”

“With the inflammation and pain gone, I’m able to grip things easier."  —Annemarie Anderson

The laser therapy can address pain problems for people who engage in all levels of activity, from those that are bedridden to those that have pain injuries from intense sports. The laser can also be used as a preventative option, using the laser to support your body and optimize health. A little extra bonus? When applied to the scalp, the laser is said to stimulate hair growth.

The team works under a licensed doctor and are fully certified laser technicians using only a 100 percent FDA cleared laser. On your first appointment, the team will have you fill out a form to make sure that any of your current habits or medications won’t negatively interfere with the laser treatment. When it’s time to enter the laser room, you will be asked to put on a pair of glasses that will protect your eyes from the light. Then, the treatment begins.

Annemarie Anderson, who has had rheumatoid arthritis for more than 20 years, tried out the laser therapy to see if some of her pain could be alleviated. After about nine treatments, Anderson was happily surprised at some of the benefits she is still experiencing months later.

She described regaining mobility in her elbow after the treatments.

“I can reach again,” she commented.

Anderson also saw a reduction in inflammation and pain in the joints of her hands.

Additionally, she experienced increased use and decreased pain in her hands.

“With the inflammation and pain gone, I’m able to grip things easier," she expressed. "Actually, a lot of times at the end of the day my fingers would hurt and they didn’t. It really took care of the pain in my knuckles.”

She described the laser treatment as painless and non-invasive with absolutely no discomfort, and all she could feel was a slight warmth in the area it was being applied.

Would she recommend it to someone experiencing pain? “Yes, I would encourage someone to try it.”