Key takeaways.
- It feels like deep, moving warmth. Most people find it comfortable.
- The laser portion runs 10 to 20 minutes inside a normal physiotherapy appointment.
- Everyone in the room wears wavelength-matched protective eyewear.
- A course is usually 6 to 10 sessions, with the change typically showing around session three or four.
- No downtime. You can drive, work, and train straight afterwards.
Before the laser comes out.
The first thing that happens is an assessment, not a treatment. Your physiotherapist takes your history, examines the area, and works out what is actually driving your pain. Only then does the question of whether laser helps come up. Sometimes the answer is no, and you should expect to be told that plainly.
You will also be asked a short set of screening questions. Whether you might be pregnant, whether you have an implanted device such as a pacemaker, whether you are taking a medication that makes your skin sensitive to light, and whether there is any history of cancer in the area being treated. These determine whether the laser is safe for you, and we cover them fully on the safety page.
The eyewear is not optional.
Before the device is switched on, you put on protective glasses and so does your physiotherapist. Anyone else in the room does too. This is the one part of the session with no flexibility in it.
The reason is straightforward: a Class 4 laser produces enough optical power to injure the retina if the beam or a stray reflection reaches an unprotected eye. The glasses are filtered for the specific wavelength the machine emits, which is why ordinary sunglasses are useless here. If you are ever offered laser treatment without eyewear, leave.
What the treatment itself is like.
The skin over the target area needs to be exposed, because the light does not pass through clothing. For a shoulder that means a vest top, for a knee or ankle, shorts. Anything that needs covering is draped.
Your physiotherapist then moves the handpiece over the area in slow, continuous passes. It never sits still in one spot, and that is deliberate: keeping it moving spreads the energy and prevents any single point of skin heating more than the rest. The sensation is a deep warmth that follows the head as it travels, and some people also notice a mild tingle.
What you should not feel is a sharp point of heat or anything resembling a burn. If you do, say so immediately. The response is simple, the therapist speeds up the pass or repositions the head, and it settles. Being stoic about it helps nobody.
The laser portion runs 10 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the area and the dose being delivered. The rest of your appointment is what it always was: hands-on work, assessment of how you are moving, and the exercise programme that does the long-term job.
How a course is structured.
A typical course is 6 to 10 sessions. Early on that often means two to three visits a week, spacing out as things settle. The reason for clustering sessions at the start is that the biological effect accumulates rather than arriving all at once.
In practice, most people notice the meaningful shift around the third or fourth session. Some feel a few hours of relief after the very first one, and that early response is real but short-lived, so do not read too much into it either way.
We reassess after the first block. If your pain, range of motion, or tolerance for loading has measurably improved, continuing makes sense. If nothing has changed, more sessions of the same thing is the wrong answer and we will change the plan. We do not sell session packages up front, which is covered on the cost and coverage page.
Afterwards.
There is no recovery period. You put your clothes back on, you drive home, you go to work. The laser has no sedative effect and leaves nothing in your system.
Training afterwards is governed by your injury, not by the laser. If your physiotherapist has given you loading limits, those still apply. What the laser is meant to do is make the exercise you have been given feel manageable sooner, so using that window to do the programme is the point.
Mild warmth or a little redness over the treated skin can linger briefly and is normal. Anything sharp, new, or persistent is worth a phone call rather than waiting for the next appointment.
Frequently asked questions.
What does high intensity laser therapy feel like?
High intensity laser therapy feels like a deep, spreading warmth over the area being treated, and most people describe it as pleasant rather than uncomfortable. Some feel a light tingling. The handpiece moves in slow continuous passes rather than resting in one place, which keeps the warmth even. Sharp pain or a burning point is not part of a normal session and means the settings need adjusting.
How long does a laser therapy session take?+
The laser portion of a session at Medstar runs 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the area and the dose being delivered. That sits inside a standard physiotherapy appointment rather than replacing it, so the full visit also includes assessment, hands-on treatment, and your exercise programme. You are not booking a laser appointment, you are booking physiotherapy that includes laser.
How many laser sessions do I need?+
A typical course of high intensity laser therapy runs 6 to 10 sessions, commonly two to three per week at the start and then spacing out as symptoms settle. The biological effect is cumulative, which is why most people notice a change around the third or fourth session rather than immediately. We reassess after the first block and stop if nothing measurable has improved.
Do I have to undress for laser therapy?+
Laser light does not pass through clothing, so the skin over the treatment area has to be exposed. For a shoulder that usually means a vest top, for a knee or ankle it means shorts. Bring or wear something that gives access to the injured area and you will not need a gown. Draping is used for anything that needs privacy.
Why does everyone wear goggles during laser therapy?+
A Class 4 laser can damage the retina if the beam or a reflection reaches the eye, so protective eyewear is worn by the patient, the physiotherapist, and anyone else in the room. The glasses are matched to the specific wavelength the device emits, which is why you cannot substitute sunglasses. This is a fixed safety rule at Medstar with no exceptions.
Can I drive and exercise after a laser session?+
Yes. High intensity laser therapy has no sedative effect and no recovery period, so you can drive home and return to your normal day straight away. There is no restriction on training afterwards beyond whatever limits your injury already places on you. Your physiotherapist will tell you what loading is appropriate, and that guidance comes from the injury rather than from the laser.
How soon will I feel a difference after laser therapy?+
Some people feel less pain within a few hours of the first session, and that early relief is usually short-lived. The change that lasts tends to appear across the third to fourth session as the effect accumulates. If you have completed a first block of sessions with no measurable improvement in pain, range of motion, or load tolerance, that is a signal to change the plan rather than book more.
Does laser therapy hurt the next day?+
Soreness the day after high intensity laser therapy is uncommon. Mild warmth or slight redness over the treated skin can occur and settles quickly. What people sometimes attribute to the laser is delayed soreness from the exercise or hands-on work done in the same appointment. If you develop pain that is new, sharp, or persistent, contact the clinic rather than waiting for your next visit.
What happens at my first laser appointment?+
Your first appointment is an assessment first and a treatment second. Your physiotherapist takes your history, examines the area, and decides whether laser is appropriate at all. If it is, you get the treatment in the same visit along with hands-on work and a starting exercise plan. If it is not, they will say so and explain what will work better for your injury.
Can I have laser therapy at every appointment?+
You can, but it is not automatic. Laser is used when reducing pain and irritability is what is limiting your progress, and that changes as you recover. Once you are tolerating loading well, the appointment time is usually better spent on progressing your exercise programme. Your physiotherapist should be able to explain why the laser is or is not being used on any given day.
Not sure laser is the right tool?
Book an assessment. We'll tell you honestly whether the laser helps your injury, or whether something else will do more.
Reviewed by Sanaz Davarian, PT, MSc, Owner & Director, Registered Physiotherapist, College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia (CPTBC). Medstar was the first physiotherapy clinic on the North Shore to install a Class 4 high intensity laser.
This page is for general information only and does not constitute medical advice. High intensity laser therapy is one tool among several, and it is not appropriate for every injury or every person. Nothing here is a promise of a particular outcome. Treatment suitability is determined case-by-case during clinical assessment. Physiotherapy at Medstar Sport Physio & Health is provided by physiotherapists registered with the College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia (CPTBC).