What is Ultrasound Therapy

Ultrasound therapy is a treatment that is used by physical and occupational therapists to treat pain conditions by easing painful joints and muscles as well as promote the healing of tissue. Ultrasound therapy doesn’t reduce pain in all chronic conditions. Some of the conditions that it is effective for is bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, sprains, and osteoarthritis, as well as a few others. Ultrasound therapy is done using an ultrasound machine. The machine uses high energy sound waves that are generated through the head of the machine. The physical or occupational therapist maneuvers the head of the ultrasound machine over the painful joint or muscles to direct the sound waves. There are two types of ultrasound therapy. The difference between the types, which are called thermal and mechanical, is how fast the waves move to penetrate the tissue. When using thermal ultrasound therapy, the sound waves penetrate the tissue at a fast rate, and are more constant than if they were at a slower rate. The continuous penetration causes vibrations in the tissue molecules, so they begin to heat up. The heat then causes the metabolism to work at a higher rate in the tissue cells and, therefore, promotes healing. Mechanical ultrasound therapy doesn’t use a constant transmission of sound waves like thermal therapy does. Instead, the sound waves come more in pulses to penetrate the tissues. This has only a small warming effect on the tissues. The small gas bubbles in the soft tissues swell and contract, which reduces swelling. When the swelling is reduced, the pain also lessens. Ultrasound therapy is not painful and is an uncomplicated procedure. The physical or occupational therapist selects an area to work on and applies a gel either to the desired area or to the head of the ultrasound machine. The gel helps the transducer head to glide easily over the skin and helps the sound waves to penetrate the skin more evenly. The therapist moves the head continually over and around the desired area so as not to burn the tissue. People have different sensations while being treated with ultrasound therapy, but none of those are painful. There may be some discomfort, however, if the area being treated is sensitive to touch. Most people feel nothing at all, but some people feel warmth or a minor pulsing. The Food and Drug Administration decided that ultrasound therapy is safe as long as it is performed by a licensed professional, and the head of the ultrasound therapy machine is kept moving at all times because it is possible to burn the tissues. There are some body parts that ultrasound therapy should not be used on. These parts include broken skin, eyes, areas with plastic implants, the torso of pregnant or menstruating women, and people with pacemakers. Ultrasound therapy is extremely effective on people with certain chronic pain conditions, and it is deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration. It not only eases the pain in joints and muscles, but promotes healing of tissues, which in the long term, could eliminate some pain conditions. Click on our Website’s Link to get more Information about electronic medical records or EMR, Visit DrSmart.com