The invention comprises a method for treatment of chronic and referred pain such as chronic headaches and migraine headaches, as well as pain of the upper back, neck and shoulders, and lower back pain using low power laser light. The source of such referred pain involves microscopic and macroscopic tears in the periosteal-osseous junctions of the upper vertebrae, the scapula, and the skull. These lesions stimulate the generation of histamines, kinins, bradykinins, prostaglandin, proteolytic enzymes, seratonin, and other substances which cause numerous localized autonomic reactions, such as muscle spasm, ischemia, local inflammation, edema, as well as generalized reactions such as increased blood pressure, photophobia, nausea, blurred vision, copious mucous flow of the nose and sinus, and the like. The muscle spasms are responsible for transmitting the pain sensation to other portions of the body, and the systemic reactions are often associated with migraine-type headaches. The sites of the periosteal-osseous lesions can be correlated directly with the distant locus of the referred pain sensation. The laser energy is directed to the sites of the lesions to cause an increase in lymphatic circulation at the site of the causative lesion in response to the laser energy. Laser energy delivered to the site results in increased blood circulation and cellular metabolism in the area, which promotes more rapid healing of the lesion.

A method of treating a patient, includes providing a laser source for emitting a laser light, diagnosing an afflicted area of the patient, delivering the laser light to the afflicted area for at least one treatment cycle, the laser source being operable on the afflicted area at a level of 1 Joule/cm.sup.2 per treatment cycle, monitoring the afflicted area after the treatment cycle has been completed, and repeating the steps of diagnosing and delivering the laser light to the afflicted area based on the monitoring step. Each treatment cycle preferably has a duration of 33 seconds and the wavelength of the laser light is preferably between a range of 800-870 nm, and more preferably is substantially 830 nm.

A method is provided for treating a patient having a disorder, wherein the method includes irradiating a tissue surface of the patient with at least one laser beam, automatically monitoring the tissue, and automatically controlling the at least one laser beam to adjust and/or terminate the treatment in a therapeutically effective manner. The method noninvasively determines in real-time the irradiance and/or radiant exposure of a target tissue at a predetermined depth below the tissue surface by detecting the radial dependence of light remitted from the tissue surface. Preferably, the method employs a near-infrared light laser beam and a visible laser light beam in combination. An apparatus for performing the method is also provided.

A laser insole having one or many vertical cavity surface emitting lasers embedded therein may be worn by a patient and applied to an area of the foot. The device supplies the patient with a preprogrammed laser therapy regimen. A physician programs the device in a patient's shoe. The device is small enough to allow the patient's normal activities. The laser therapy regimen promotes healing of a wound on the foot. Alternatively, the device may be adapted as a flexible device applied to the skin, or implanted into the body, or provided in a catheter that is inserted into a body region.

Apparatus for treatment of an ischemic region of brain cells in a cranium, comprising a skull covering adapted to cover at least part of the cranium, at least one guide attached to the skull covering, and a laser source which is operative to direct a laser beam through the at least one guide into the cranium. The at least one guide may include an optic filiter or a waveguide.