What is musculoskeletal ultrasound used for?

Musculoskeletal ultrasound can help to diagnose a range of injuries and chronic conditions, including tendonitis, bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff tears, joint problems, and masses such as tumors or cysts.

Why do they take an ultrasound at physical therapy?

Your physical therapist (PT) might use therapeutic ultrasound to provide deep heating to soft tissue to increase blood circulation to those tissues. This could, theoretically, promote healing and decrease pain.

Can physical therapist use diagnostic ultrasound?

Ultrasound can show a PT many structures in the body and can be used to help diagnose strains, sprains, inflammatory conditions like tendonitis or bursitis, nerve entrapments, and hernias. Ultrasound is not popular with PTs just because they are limited in the ability to order other imaging.

Does ultrasound show muscle inflammation?

A cost-effective alternative to MRI is ultrasound, and advancement in ultrasound technology has enabled the development of new techniques to analyze muscle inflammation. A variety of studies have been conducted to evaluate the potential of ultrasound as a tool for both diagnosis and follow-up of myositis.

Which musculoskeletal disorder is most appropriately treated with ultrasound?

Ultrasound images are typically used to help diagnose: tendon tears or tendinitis of the rotator cuff in the shoulder, Achilles tendon in the ankle and many other tendons throughout the body.

What are the side effects of ultrasound therapy?

Therapeutic ultrasound has no known harmful effects when done right by your therapist. The therapy will help alleviate body pain in the affected areas. Ultrasound physical therapy is noninvasive; hence, it’s safer than other methods.

How does ultrasound therapy reduce inflammation?

Mechanical ultrasound therapy uses pulses of sound waves to penetrate tissues. While this still has a minor warming effect, it also causes expansion and contraction in tiny gas bubbles in soft tissues. This decreases the inflammatory response, which reduces swelling and decreases pain.

How many states allow physical therapists to order imaging?

Currently, only Colorado, Wisconsin, and Utah expressly allow PTs to order imaging under certain conditions.

Does ultrasound help tight muscles?

Ultrasound is a passive modality, meaning a treatment your physcial therapist administers. It is a supplement to the primary treatment (eg, therapeutic stretching, exercise). Ultrasound can help relax tight muscles that are sore, and warms muscles and soft tissues, which increases circulation that helps healing.