Ultrasound therapy is a treatment for muscle injuries. It provides healing heat to deep muscle tissues. The ultrasound machine emits sound waves through the transducer, which penetrate your skin and muscles. These sound waves generate heat as they pass through your body. The sound waves are at a frequency too high to be heard by your ears.
The Treatment
Ultrasound therapy is administered by an athletic trainer or physical therapist in a clinical setting. Ultrasound may be combined with other types of physical therapy exercises that strengthen and stretch your muscles. A coupling medium is required in order for ultrasound waves to penetrate your body. Some treatments may be given underwater. Most treatments are given by using a gel coupler. Ultrasound waves cannot travel through the air to penetrate you skin. Your therapist will apply a gel to your skin, then place the transducer into the gel so the emitted waves can enter your muscles. The therapist will move the transducer around very slowly in order to cover the entire affected area with deep healing warmth. A typical treatment lasts about 15 minutes.
Before taking your ultrasound treatment, you should warm up your muscles through some sort of exercise. When your treatment is over you should do stretching exercises that involve the injured area so you can work out the muscle while it has improved flexibility.
The Benefits
Applying deep heat to your muscles has the following benefits: increased blood flow, increased tissue elasticity, enhanced tissue healing, decrease in scar tissue, decreased inflammation and a reduction in pain. Using ultrasound therapy can help you recover from your injury faster so you can return to your normal activities sooner. Ultrasound therapy is also beneficial for reducing the pain associated with your injury.
The Risks
Like most other medical procedures, ultrasound therapy carries the risk of side effects. Some of these include bone burns, soft tissue burns, swelling and bleeding problems. Pregnant women should not undergo this type of therapy. Ultrasound therapy should not be performed on certain parts of your body, in order to reduce the risk of injury. These include parts of your body with metal implants, bone growth plates, reproductive organs, eyes, ears, brain and spinal cord. Extreme caution must be used with ultrasound treatments to areas of your body that have poor circulation or are numb because you may receive a burn without being able to feel the pain.
Tags: your body, your muscles, sound waves, Ultrasound therapy, exercises that