Ultrasound Therapy
Overview
What is it?
The hand-held transducer is applied with coupling gel and moved in a circular motion over an injured or painful area of the anatomy to treat conditions such as bursitis of the shoulder or tendonitis, by trained physical therapy technicians. The objective is to warm tendons, muscle and other tissue to improve blood flow and accelerate healing.
How does it work?
Inside your physical therapist's ultrasound unit is a small crystal. When an electrical charge hits this crystal, it vibrates rapidly, creating piezoelectric waves (an electric charge that accumulates in some solid materials). These waves emit from the ultrasound sound head as ultrasound waves.
During treatment, the ultrasound wave then enters your injured tissues. This exposure to ultrasonic waves increases blood flow and cavitation, leading to the theorized benefits of the treatment.
Who does it benefit the most?
Chronic Pain: There is evidence that you may benefit from ultrasound treatments if you have chronic pain. It is thought that ultrasound waves help improve tissue extensibility and circulation, leading to increased mobility and, ultimately, decreased pain.
In-depth Health Benefits
Relaxing Tissue Tension
According to the World Health Organization, musculoskeletal conditions are the second-largest contributors to disabilities across the world.
Musculoskeletal pain occurs when there’s damage to your muscle tissue. While general wear and tear can cause this damage, trauma makes an impact, too. That includes:
Auto accidents
Falls
Fractures
Dislocations
Sprains
Direct blows
Jerking movements
Reduce Pain
For starters, therapeutic ultrasound can help relieve the pain you’re experiencing.
While healing your body’s deep tissue, the ultrasound also decreases muscle spasms. Spasms and muscle tightness can connect back to the root cause of your pain.
Deep Heat
Forget using a hot pack. Ultrasound therapy can penetrate deep to relax deeper musculature or joint tissues.
To make it happen, the machine’s soundwaves cause the body’s tissues to vibrate. This generates heat while increases friction down to a molecular level. Then, the targeted tissues rise in temperature.