Therapeutic ultrasound is a modality that has been used by doctors and therapists since the 1940s for muscle and joint pain relief. Ultrasound therapy is applied using the head of an ultrasound probe that is placed in direct contact with your skin via a transmission coupling gel. There are a variety of benefits, including improved healing rates, decreasing pain, relaxing the tissues, increasing local blood flow, joint pain relief, and reducing scar breakdown.

Dr. Reece recently created a video discussing therapeutic ultrasound and how it affects muscle and joint pain relief. Check it out below, and as always, the transcript is under the video!

Howdy Everybody,

Dr. Reece Hayden with Synergy Chiropractic of Houston.  Today we are going to be learning how sound waves can be used through Therapeutic Ultrasound to help people with muscle plain, ligament pain, tendon pain, and bone pain. 

The way this works is sound waves leave the probe and penetrate through the skin, contacting the area of discomfort, whether it be muscle, tendon, ligament, or bone.  This is done locally to the area of pain.  Meaning, if my forearm was the area of pain, gel would be applied here, the ultrasound unit would be turned on, and the probe would be placed onto the gel and slowly moved around.  Sound waves are pushed into the area of discomfort.

The reason this is beneficial, ultrasound has been shown to increase healing rate that occurs in the area applied.  It also allows relaxation of muscle tension a little bit which leads to relief of pain.  Another great side effect is a decrease in inflammation due to an increase in blood flow to the area.  Whenever there is an increase in blood supply, there is an increase in anti-inflammatory factors that the body creates itself.  Also, with the increase in blood supply comes an increase in nutritional support.  The body needs nutrition in order to get better.  By doing ultrasound, we can aid in targeting needed nutrients that would be found in the blood to that area that needs healing. 

Another effect that ultrasound has been shown to do is break down scar tissue.  Whether the scar tissue is on the surface or underneath the skin, the micro vibrations of the ultrasound helps break up that tissue and increase the healing process. 

Yet another application of ultrasound can be used in combination of topical medication.  This can be used to increase the absorption rate by pushing the effect of the medication through the skin and into the targeted tissue.  Some doctors do this to speed up the process of the medication.

Things to avoid when performing ultrasound include metal under skin, skin infection, abdomen of a pregnant woman, growth plates of growing children, eyes, skull, and genitals. 

That aside, ultrasound is very beneficial for those who have muscle pain, tendon pain, ligament pain, and bone pain.  It has also been shown to increase the healing process of broken bones. 

Once again, my name is Dr. Reece Hayden with Synergy Chiropractic of Houston.  If you have any questions, please feel free to give the office a call.  I hope you have a nice day.  Bye.