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How Ultrasound Electrotherapy Can Relieve Pain

therapeutic ultrasound

If you have had a recent injury, or are struggling with pain from a chronic condition, you may have had physiotherapy recommended. Physiotherapy can significantly reduce healing times and help patients manage the symptoms of their chronic conditions.

Ultrasound therapy, also known as therapeutic ultrasound, is commonly used in a physiotherapy clinical practice for treating pain and promoting healing. Your physiotherapist may use this treatment for your injury or condition, since it is effective in many situations and assists in making other treatments more effective, as well.

What is Therapeutic Ultrasound?

Ultrasound therapy, which is also known as therapeutic ultrasound, is a physiotherapy treatment which is commonly used to eliminate or reduce inflammation and stiffness, break down scar tissue, and generally promote healing. Ultrasound therapy works by increasing circulation and metabolism to speed up soft tissue healing. Boosting circulation encourages healing and the blood is better able to supply oxygen and nutrients to the necessary areas.

There are two types of ultrasound therapy: thermal ultrasound therapy, which warms muscles and skin to treat minor injuries and help with pain, and mechanical ultrasound therapy, which uses vibrations to penetrate the soft tissues, and reduce swelling and inflammation.

Ultrasound therapy helps make other therapies, including manual therapy, more effective.

Ultrasound actually uses a mechanical energy source, not electrical stimulation, so in reality, it is not a form of electrotherapy. Therapeutic ultrasound creates mechanical vibrations, or sound waves at specific frequencies, that can increase blood flow circulation and create heat in a manner that assists with healing and pain reduction.

How Is Ultrasound Therapy Administered

How Is Ultrasound Therapy Administered?

For therapeutic applications of ultrasound, a gel is applied to the affected area. This gel helps conduct the ultrasound waves into the tissues. The therapist then uses an ultrasound device to apply this sound wave energy treatment. The device head is moved around in small circles around the affected area, to ensure that the entire area is treated and that the thermal effects of ultrasound application don't cause minor surface burns.

A treatment usually only takes five to ten minutes, but is effective at promoting tissue repair and reducing pain despite this short time. A treatment is needed only once daily or less often.

How Does Ultrasound Therapy Differ From Medical Ultrasound?

Medical ultrasound, or diagnostic ultrasound, generates imaging of the internal parts of your body. A transducer sends and receives high-frequency sound waves to generate these images, based on how they bounce off of different structures.

Physiotherapists use a different frequency for ultrasound therapy, and the devices do not have imaging capability. The purpose is to support physical therapy, not provide diagnostic images.

Ultrasound Therapy for Pain

Ultrasound Therapy for Pain

In addition to boosting tissue and wound healing, therapeutic ultrasound helps with pain reduction.

Chronic Pain

Ultrasound therapy may help with some chronic pain conditions, especially in the earlier stages, or as a complement to other treatments.

Low-intensity ultrasound in continuous mode has been shown to reduce myofascial pain in the shoulder and neck.

Therapeutic ultrasound applications also include treatment of chronic back and neck pain, nerve pain, and neurological conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome.

It also helps with musculoskeletal pain. Some studies have shown that ultrasound therapy can reduce shoulder pain and knee pain. Ultrasound is also used to reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis, bone cancer, and bone fractures.

Tissue Healing and Acute Injury Pain Relief

Ultrasound therapy is used to treat acute injuries in the early stages of the injury, to promote the healing process and alleviate pain.

This includes treating injuries like tendinitis, bursitis, ligament sprains and injuries, joint injuries, muscle spasms, frozen shoulders, and more.

Reducing Inflammation

Inflammation is a critical part of a body's healing process, as it triggers your body’s immune response. This triggering is essential to start the body regenerating tissues and healing. However, sometimes, it can cause excessive swelling. Too much swelling can put pressure on joints, causing damage and pain in the joints, and restricts blood flow. Limiting this swelling can make a significant difference on your joint pain.

Healing doesn't start until inflammation stops, so while inflammation is necessary, it is beneficial to keep the inflammatory phase as short as possible. Faster healing gets you back to normal activities sooner, as well as getting you back to freedom from pain.

Detail Of Hand Applying Electrotherapy On Female Spine

Impact Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Center offers ultrasound therapy to relieve joint, ligament, and muscle pain. Many different patients can benefit from the therapeutic effect of ultrasound therapy, especially since it works well with other treatment options, for combined and complementary results.

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6941 Derry Road West
Milton, ON L9T7H5, Canada

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