WHAT IS ULTRASOUND THERAPY OR THERAPEUTIC ULTRASOUND? WHAT ARE ITS TYPES?
It is generally categorized into 2 types:
- Thermal Ultrasound Therapy
- This therapy involves the continuous transfer of sound waves resulting in small vibrations in the deep tissue molecules. These vibrations increase heat and friction in the molecules. This heating effect results in increases in the metabolism of the tissue cells resulting in the healing of the soft tissues.
- The local rise in the temperature could be used to accelerate healing. It is generally used in cases of Myofascial pain, muscle strain or sprain, scars, or adhesion.
- Mechanical Ultrasound therapy
- This therapy uses single vibration of sound waves to penetrate tissue. It actually causes the expansion and contraction in the tiny gas bubbles of the soft tissues which then helps to reduce the inflammation, reducing tissue swelling and thus decreasing pain in the tissue.
- It is generally used if you have Pain and Swelling such as with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,
Ultrasound may be used in a continuous mode where the treatment head continuously produces ultrasonic energy or pulsed where the treatment head continuously produces ultrasonic energy or pulsed where the periods of ultrasound are separated by periods of silence.
WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS TREATED BY ULTRASOUND THERAPY OR THERAPEUTIC ULTRASOUND?
The most common conditions that can be treated using Ultrasound therapy are:
TENDONITIS / TENDINITIS:
It is a general term that is used to define the inflammation of the tendon tissue that connects the muscle to the bone. This is the most common cause of soft-tissue pain. It can occur at any age but it is more common in adults who do a lot of sports. Old-age people are also prone to it as the tendons tend to lose their elasticity and become weaker with age. Its common types are:
- Tennis Elbow
- Golfer’s Elbow
- Tendinitis (Achilles, Wrist, supraspinatus, bicipital)
- Jumper’s Knee
- Swimmer’s Shoulder
- Trigger Finger or Thumb
- Ganglion
Other conditions that can be treated with Therapeutic Ultrasound are:
- Joint Swelling
- Muscle spasm
- Pain
- Fractures
- Muscle or ligament injury(ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL, etc )
- Sprains and Strains ( ankle, knee, lower back, etc)
- Knee Bursitis
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Myofascial pain
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Low back pain
- Phantom Limb Pain
- Varicose ulcers
- Herpes zoster
- Pressure sores
- Frozen shoulder
- Temporomandibular joint disorder
- Prolapsed intervertebral disc
- Dupuytren’s contracture
- Meniscal injury