Class IV Laser Therapy After a Car Accident: Start Within 14 Days to Keep PIP Coverage

Class IV is the highest power class of therapy laser used in a clinic, and the extra power lets the light reach deep tissue, including the spinal joints, the rotator cuff, and the hip, where lower-power lasers stop at the skin. The tissue absorbs the light, cell activity increases, blood flow rises, and the chemical signals that produce pain and swelling drop.

The effect is on the tissue, not a numbing of the nerve, so relief tends to build over a series of sessions rather than wearing off in an hour. Dr. McNamara-Krauss sets the dose by the depth of the injured tissue, the size of the area, and your skin type.

Laser is often the first treatment a new patient receives, on the examination visit. Swollen tissue does not tolerate deep pressure, and laser reduces that swelling so adjustments and massage become possible sooner. It is standard in our plans for whiplash, shoulder injuries, soft tissue injuries, and nerve injuries.

We follow one strict rule: laser and shockwave therapy are never applied to the same area. Each area is assigned one or the other at the examination, and the assignment is written into the plan. Laser is our choice for the spine, the neck, and any area with active inflammation. Under Florida PIP, treatment within 14 days keeps the full $10,000 benefit available, and a first laser session on the examination visit meets that deadline. This is general information, not legal advice.

You and the doctor both wear protective eyewear. The handpiece is moved steadily over the injured area, and you feel a gentle, spreading warmth. There is no needle and no downtime. A single area takes a few minutes, and several areas are treated in one visit when the plan calls for it.

A typical course is a series of sessions in the first weeks after the crash, when inflammation is highest, followed by fewer sessions as the tissue settles. There is no fixed count. Dr. McNamara-Krauss re-examines the area and re-measures range of motion at intervals, and the number of sessions follows the response, not a package.

Class IV laser produces heat, so the settings and the operator matter. Dr. Carol McNamara-Krauss is a Florida-licensed chiropractic physician (DC), license CH5281. She does not apply laser over the eyes, over a known or suspected tumor, over the abdomen or low back during pregnancy, over a fresh bleed, or over the thyroid. Areas with reduced sensation are treated at lower doses, because the patient is less able to report heat.

Head injuries and concussion are screened and referred, not treated here, and we do not laser the head. Laser is never combined with shockwave on the same area. A suspected fracture, chest pain, shortness of breath, or spreading numbness goes to an emergency department first. Broward Health North on Sample Road in Deerfield Beach is the nearest to this office.