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What if I told you that there was a form of imaging that could see the movement of the body’s muscles, bones, nerves, tendons and other soft tissues in real time?
What if I also told you that this intervention could see dysfunction and localize areas of inflammation and muscle, ligament, and tendon compromise?
There is a form of imaging that can do this. It is called diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound.
Diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound is considered to be the “stethoscope of the 21st century” with the ability to use sound waves to see the body’s soft tissues in real time. There is no radiation that is used with diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound. It allows the patient to move during the examination which can give the clinician performing the test valuable information on the relevant anatomy.
Ultrasound can allow for early diagnosis of common diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Early diagnosis can lead to better management of this condition and also improve long term patient outcomes and quality of life.
Diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound is superior to MRI in that the patient does not have to lie still in uncomfortable positions for prolonged periods underneath noisy and intimidating machinery.
Common musculoskeletal pathology that can be seen include partial and full tendon tears, nerve entrapments, joint swelling, and ligament tears. Diagnostic ultrasound will also allow the clinician to see arthritis and bony changes of joints such as the shoulder, hip, knee, and tiny joints of the wrist and hand and foot and ankle. Detecting small changes in these joints early on can better lead to accurate medical management of the condition and better long term outcomes.
Additionally, diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound can also be used to retrain muscles that the patient may have difficulty contracting. With the use of the ultrasound the patient can see the muscle contract and in real time the treating clinician can perform neuromuscular re-education to improve the efficiency of the muscular contraction.
Dr. Charles Stevens DPT, CLT, COMT, is founder and owner of Mobile Therapy Services in Dallas. Dr. Stevens attended Misericordia University for his doctorate degree in physical therapy and has worked in settings including inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient therapy. His column appears monthly. For more information visit mobiletherapyservicesnepa.com