Therapeutic Ultrasound for Injured Muscles

When you hear the word "ultrasound," you most likely think of pregnancy or some other form of diagnostic imaging. It is less common for people to associate the technology with a therapeutic modality, yet it does have therapeutic applications. It's all a matter of understanding how the body heals itself.

Feeling Good Vibrations

Therapeutic ultrasound is an invisible, undetectable form of mechanical energy. Technically, it's acoustical. Meaning; it uses waves to transfer vibration.

These waves have to travel through a medium or conduit to be effective. Normally, a water-based gel or medicated cream is used to help the waves penetrate the muscle structure. Once the waves penetrate bodily tissue, the healing can begin. Therapeutic ultrasound can be used in different ways depending on the frequency of the waves.

Critics of this modality claim that it promotes very little in the way of healing, but these naysayers often use ultrasound technology as a standalone treatment. Diagnostically, this makes sense. You are using the technology to generate an image, nothing more. Therapeutically, the approach is short-sighted. Truthfully, therapeutic ultrasound works better when used as a complimentary treatment.

Possible complimentary treatments include:

• Medication delivery
• Electrical stimulation
• Massage therapy
• Laser treatment
• Stretching techniques

Not only does this therapy improve the effectiveness of the treatments listed above, it has a principal role in the healing process.

The Invisible Tether

There are several instances where therapeutic ultrasound has proven beneficial. Most notably, it can be used to treat musculoskeletal conditions and injuries, particularly those involving tendons, ligaments, and muscles.

You won't feel anything as the ultrasound is applied, but many people report seeing a noticeable difference in the treated area. Low-intensity treatment can improve deep tissue damage in as little as two weeks. The technology has been used this way since 2008. It is a non-invasive, pain-free approach to healing.

Waves can also be used to deliver drugs. The vibrations from therapeutic ultrasound push the medication further and further in, delivering it deep into the tissue. This is a very successful way to deliver anti-inflammatory relief right to the source.

All treatments should be administered by a well-trained professional. For more information on our therapeutic ultrasound treatment for injured muscles, contact Chiro-Med today.