Laser and red light therapy for pain, inflammation and tissue repair, planned by our clinical director and delivered at our San Francisco clinic.
Photobiomodulation (PBM) uses specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light to reduce pain and inflammation and support tissue repair. A therapeutic laser delivers that light through the skin to the muscles, tendons, joints and nerves underneath. The cells absorb it and produce more energy, which helps damaged tissue repair itself and calms the inflammation and nerve sensitivity behind pain.
Treatment is painless and non-invasive. Most people feel mild warmth or nothing at all.
You may know PBM as red light therapy. Home red light devices use low-power LEDs over a broad area. Our clinical lasers are FDA-cleared, reach deeper tissue, and deliver a dose set for the tissue being treated and your condition.
Laser and PBM therapy suit people whose pain involves injured or inflamed tissue that is slow to recover. Many of our laser patients come to us after other care has helped only part of the way.
PBM can be a course of treatment on its own or part of a plan that includes dry needling and acupuncture. For athletes, it helps tissue recover between training sessions and after injury.
A free phone consult will tell you whether PBM is likely to help.
A simple, personalized process from your first evaluation to your treatment sessions.
Meet with clinical director Jonah Hershowitz for a telehealth evaluation. He reviews your health history, condition, and previous care to determine if laser therapy is a good fit. If appropriate, he creates a personalized protocol covering treatment areas, wavelengths, dosage, and recommended sessions.
Receive targeted laser therapy from a trained technician at our San Francisco clinic. Each session follows your personalized treatment protocol. Jonah reviews your progress and adjusts the protocol as needed.
Most courses include 6–12 sessions, once or twice per week. If you're also receiving acupuncture or dry needling, your laser sessions can be coordinated with that care.
A session takes up to 20 minutes. You and the technician wear protective eyewear while the laser is on. The technician treats each area in your protocol, and you can stay clothed apart from the area being treated.
Most people feel mild warmth or nothing. There is no recovery time, and you can go back to work or training right after. Some patients notice less pain within the first few sessions. Tissue repair takes longer, and we measure progress over the full course.
Every protocol at AcuGroup is written by a clinician with over 15 years of experience with laser and light therapies, and every session follows it.
We also know where pain comes from. Muscle and soft tissue problems drive most persistent pain, and they are what we have treated for over 25 years. That tells us which tissues to target and when PBM, needling or both will help most.
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Jonah Hershowitz, LAc, CMTPT/DN, co-founder and clinical director of AcuGroup, leads our laser and PBM program. He has used therapeutic lasers in clinical practice for over 15 years, trained in photobiomodulation with Dr. Fred Kahn, Alon Marcus, and James Carroll of THOR Photomedicine, and holds a Low Intensity Laser Therapy certification from Meditech International, Toronto.
Laser and PBM sessions are at AcuGroup San Francisco, in the Mills Building.
220 Bush St Ste 450
San Francisco, CA 94104
Near Montgomery Station.
Laser therapy is not offered at our Marin clinic at this time.
The telehealth evaluation, protocol & treatment plan is $150. Sessions are $150 each, or $750 for a course of 6 and $1,350 for a course of 12. We don’t accept or process insurance claims and we’re out-of-network, but we provide a superbill for potential reimbursement and accept HSA/FSA cards.
Most courses are 6 to 12 sessions, once or twice a week.
No. Most people feel mild warmth or nothing.
Yes. Our lasers are FDA-cleared, and every session follows a written protocol and our strict safety procedures.
Many patients do both, and PBM can also be used on its own. We will recommend the combination that fits your condition.
Home units are not standardized and are unreliable. Clinical lasers are FDA-cleared, much more powerful, reach deeper tissue, and are customized and dosed for your condition by a medical provider. If you use a home device, ask us how it fits with your treatment. Read more about the difference in our article, “Red Light Therapy for Back Pain.”
Yes. Schedule a free 20-minute phone consult with our clinical director, and we’ll tell you whether laser therapy, needling or both are likely to help.
Whether you’re dealing with chronic pain, recovering from an injury or surgery, or want to recover faster from training, we’re here to help.
