Ultrasound

Therapeutic ultrasound is a treatment modality commonly used in physical medicine. It is used to provide deep heating to soft tissues in the body. These tissues include muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments. This type of therapeutic ultrasound should not be confused with diagnostic ultrasound, which is an ultrasound that is used to see the inside of the body, such as checking on a fetus during pregnancy or ligament or tissue damage.

Therapeutic ultrasound is used primarily for two different effects: the deep heating treatment and non-thermal uses.

Deep heating effects: Ultrasound is often used to provide deep heating to soft tissue structures in the body. Deep heating tendons, muscles or ligaments increases circulation to those tissues, which is thought to help the healing process. Increasing tissue temperature with ultrasound is also used to help decrease pain.

Non-thermal effects (cavitation): Ultrasound introduces energy into the body. This energy causes microscopic gas bubbles around your tissues to expand and contract rapidly, a process called cavitation. It is theorized that the expansion and contraction of these bubbles help speed cellular processes and improves the healing of injured tissue.

While you are receiving an ultrasound treatment, you will most likely not feel anything happening, except perhaps a slight warming sensation or tingling around the area being treated. If the ultrasound sound head is left in place on your skin and not moved in a circular direction, you may experience pain. If this occurs, tell your doctor right away.