Recovering from surgery isn’t just about managing pain at the surface – it also means addressing deeper complications that can affect your long-term health. Beyond swelling, infection, and visible scarring, surgery often places stress on your nervous system. In fact, many people experience surgically-induced neuropathic pain (nerve pain) after operations, caused by nerve injury or scar tissue restricting nerve function.

Research and real-world case studies show how coMra therapy can play a powerful role in supporting full recovery after surgery—helping you move from pain and limitation back to healing and vitality.

Download the coMra e-book for more information on coMra therapy

COMMON COMPLICATIONS AFTER SURGERY

Common health issues following anaesthesia and surgery include:¹

• Pain
• Bruising and swelling
• Shortness of breath
• Scarring
• Secondary infection
• Constipation
• Difficulty urinating

Other more serious complications include blood clots and deep vein thrombosis.¹

coMra is a powerful ally to anyone recovering from an operation. Research shows that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is efficient in healing post-operative wounds² and reducing post-operative pain.³

Nerve Damage and Neuropathy After Surgery

While pain and swelling are expected after surgery, it’s fairly common for nerve damage to occur during procedures. Surgically-induced neuropathic pain (SNPP) is estimated to persist in 10–50% of patients following common operations.

Nerve injuries may happen due to:

• Cutting or stretching during surgery
• Inflammation or compression from scar tissue
• Blunt trauma or crushing of nearby tissue

Scar tissue is one of the biggest contributors to ongoing nerve problems. As it forms around nerves, it can constrict them and restrict the normal flow of nutrients, leaving nerves unhealthy and unable to function properly.

Sometimes, long-lasting tingling, numbness, burning sensations, or hypersensitivity persist after an operation. These are signs of post-surgical neuropathy – a condition that often doesn’t resolve on its own.

BENEATH THE SURFACE: coMra FOR KELOIDS AND ADHESIONS

Scarring after surgery isn’t just cosmetic—it can directly impact how your nerves, skin and organs function. Dense scar tissue can tether nerves, interfere with communication signals, and become a source of chronic pain. Adhesions inside the body can even pull on nerves or organs, creating sharp or persistent discomfort.

coMra therapy supports your body’s healing process in two important ways:

1. Softening and restructuring scar tissue so that it becomes healthier, more flexible, and less restrictive.
2. Stimulating regeneration of nerve tissue, helping to restore proper nerve signalling and reduce the burning or shooting pains associated with neuropathy.

This dual action means coMra doesn’t just treat the surface appearance of scars—it addresses the underlying problems that often cause pain long after surgery

As the body attempts to heal itself after an operation, scarring complications like keloids and adhesions can start to form.^4,5

• Keloids – growth of irregular fibrous tissue at the site of a surgical cut (or other skin injury).⁴
• Adhesions – bands of scar tissue that form internally between two surfaces inside the body and “stick” them together.⁵

Keloids may be itchy, tender or painful, and can also cause emotional distress as they tend to be highly visible.⁴ Adhesions can cause pain by pulling on the nerves in the organs or tissues, and if they are located in the intestines, they can cause blockages.⁵

Low-level laser therapy has been proven to successfully treat troublesome keloids and adhesions by breaking down fibrous tissue and supporting healthy cell regeneration, even years after surgery.^6-9

How it works: Here’s a brief summary of the science behind it. Fibroblasts are a type of cell in the body, involved in the formation of fibrous connective tissue.10 Fibroblasts produce collagen proteins, which support the skin’s structure and facilitate skin healing. But an overproduction of collagen (“overhealing”) in a certain area can cause problems like keloids and adhesions.11 LLLT reduces the accumulation of fibroblast cells in the affected area, to reduce scar tissue and improve the skin’s appearance.^6-9

Research shows that LLLT is a non-invasive, side effect-free treatment that not only prevents the formation of excess scar tissue and adhesions after surgery,12 but can treat long-time scars after they have formed.^6-9

coMra PROTOCOLS FOR POST-SURGERY RECOVERY

Expert Insight

Dr. Arzhan Surazakov, PhD, Head of Research and Development at Radiant Life Technologies, explains that coMra therapy works by restoring energy balance to injured cells. By creating the right conditions for repair, coMra enables both scar tissue softening and true nerve regeneration, offering a way to resolve chronic post-surgical pain rather than just mask it. For a deeper dive, DOWNLOAD our free Neuropathy and Nerve Damage e-book.

coMra devices offer a wide variety of protocols to treat many other possible complications of surgery.

General recovery¹³

• UNIVERSAL 6 (VITALITY) improves general wellbeing and relieves fatigue, and also acts as a long-term preventative healthcare protocol. It also promotes healing after surgery and reduces the risk of secondary post-surgery complications.
• STOMATOLOGY 1 assists with recovery from dental surgery.
• UNIVERSAL 7 (NERVOUS SYSTEM) treats emotional exhaustion and stress, which can occur after a major event like an operation. It also assists with breathing difficulties, which can sometimes occur as a result of anaesthesia.
• IMMUNOLOGY 6 helps to prevent acute respiratory conditions which can be contracted in hospital or when your immunity is low. This includes colds, flu and COVID-19.
• IMMUNOLOGY 7 helps to treat the acute respiratory infections mentioned above.

Scarring and bruising¹³

• UNIVERSAL 6 can be used together with SURGERY 2 to help minimise scar tissue formation after surgery.
• SURGERY 2 is useful for healing surgical cuts and other traumatic wounds.
• UNIVERSAL 3 (BLOOD) is part of the SURGERY 2 treatment. While SURGERY 2 targets the cut or wound directly, UNIVERSAL 3 targets key points along major arteries to promote healthy circulation and overall wellbeing.
• SURGERY 1 assists with bruising and abrasions.

Pain management¹³

• NEUROLOGY 17 treats post-traumatic neuralgia (nerve pain).

Swelling and inflammation¹³

• SURGERY 3 is designed to treat swelling and inflammation of tissue, which can be common post-operative side effects.
• SURGERY 3 can also be combined with SURGERY 7 to treat oedema in the lower limbs, and swelling caused by fluid retention (lymphedema).

Other complications¹³

• SURGERY 7 assists with deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
• SURGERY 10 is a protocol designed to treat post-operative enteroparesis (flaccid muscles in the intestinal walls).
• GASTROENTEROLOGY 6 helps to relieve constipation and indigestion.
• NEPHROLOGY 2 treats urethritis (infection of the urethra) and NEPHROLOGY 3 treats cystitis (infection of the bladder).

Instructions for use in the latest coMra User Guide.

POST-SURGERY RECOVERY TIPS

If you’ve recently had an operation, be sure to follow your healthcare practitioner’s advice for optimal recovery.¹⁴

• Take time to rest and avoid overexerting yourself.
• Drink plenty of fluid to stay hydrated.
• Start moving around as soon as you can safely do so, to promote circulation and prevent blood clots.
• Gentle physical activity also helps to improve sluggish digestion.
• Do physical therapy exercises as recommended by your healthcare practitioner.
• Take any prescribed medications as directed.

NOTE: coMra is a powerful modality. The uses described above are those recommended by the coMra User Guide. Experience over 10 years has shown that in the case of most chronic conditions, treatments can also be spread out to once or twice per week, without taking the breaks outlined in the guide.

References:

¹ Common complications after surgery. WebMD. 2020.² Herascu N, Velciu B, Calin M, et al. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) efficacy in post-operative wounds. Photomed Laser Surg. 2005;23(1):70-3.³ Hamid MA. Low-level laser therapy on postoperative pain after mandibular third molar surgery. Ann Maxillofac Surg. 2017;7(2):207-216.⁴ Keloids. American Academy of Dermatology Association.⁵ Adhesions, general and after surgery. WebMD. 2022.⁶ Fujii S, Ohshiro T, Ohshiro T, el al. Low reactive level laser therapy (LLLT) for the treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids. A re-introduction. Laser Therapy. 2008;17(1):35-43..⁷ Barolet D, Boucher A. Prophylactic low-level light therapy for the treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids: A case series. Lasers Surg. Med. 2010;42:597-601.⁸ Freitas CP, Melo C, Alexandrino AM, et al. Efficacy of low-level laser therapy on scar tissue. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2013;15(3):171-176.⁹ Avci P, Gupta A, Sadasivam M, et al. Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) in skin: stimulating, healing, restoring. Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2013;32(1):41-52. ¹⁰ Fibroblast. National Human Genome Research Institute. 2022. ¹¹ Keloid scars: Advanced therapies and research to break the ‘overhealing’ cycle. UT Southwestern Medical Center. 2019. ¹² Teixeira MLCD, Vasconcellos LS, Oliveira TG, et al. Prevention of abdominal adhesions and healing skin after peritonectomy using low level laser. Lasers Surg Med. 2015;47(10):817-23..¹³ coMra User Guide.¹⁴ Mistakes after surgery that slow your recovery. WebMD. 2022.