A common misconception with physiotherapy treatments is that they are limited to massage techniques and exercise prescription. This is of course not true, as the modern methods which our physiotherapy team use utilise technology to a great extent. One such method that may be used, is that of Ultrasound therapy. Physio Úna explains how this technique is employed by our physiotherapists and answers some of the more frequently asked questions with regard to the therapy.

What is Ultrasound Therapy ?

Ultrasound therapy is an electrotherapy which has been used in physiotherapy practices for many years. It is mainly used for its non-thermal effect where high frequency sound waves cause vibrations and movement of cellular fluids.

Proposed benefits of ultrasound therapy include improving the healing rate of certain soft tissues.

It is hypothesized to :

Increase blood flow to an area in order to accelerate the resolution time of the inflammatory process.
Stimulate the production of collagen (the main protein in tendons and ligaments) during tissue healing.

Common Injuries Treated with Ultrasound

What to Expect

A small amount of gel will be applied to the body part to be treated. A transducer (sound head) which is attached to the ultrasound machine will be placed onto the gel and moved in small circles by the physiotherapist. The physiotherapist will set the machine to deliver the appropriate depth and intensity of sound wave required.

You will most likely not feel anything happening throughout the ultrasound treatment. If you do experience discomfort or pain let your physiotherapist know immediately.

How Safe is It?

Ultrasound therapy is a safe and innocuous treatment technique. However there are situations when ultrasound therapy is not appropriate. Your qualified physiotherapist will ensure that it is an appropriate technique for you and discuss it with you. Certain examples where it would definitely not be used are; over body parts with cancer, in pregnant women and in children.

Does It Work?

Older studies have shown that therapeutic ultrasound therapy can improve symptoms and healing in various soft tissue conditions, but the quality of the evidence is in these studies have been poor, with no control groups. More recent studies have shown that ultrasound therapy has a high likelihood of a placebo effect and that long term benefits are minimal, when compared to sham ultrasound (e.g. an ultrasound machine that is not plugged in).

A review of the literature (1) investigated the effects of therapeutic ultrasound on lower limb musculoskeletal conditions. Of the 15 studies included in the review, only one was considered of high quality. The results of this study found that none of the studies which had a placebo control group found any statistically significant benefit of ultrasound therapy for treating these conditions. This indicates that when a patient gets benefit from ultrasound, it is more probable that it is a placebo effect, rather than an inherent physiological effect.

Due to the lack of substantial evidence for significant benefits ultrasound should never be used as a stand-alone treatment. However, it may be used in conjunction with other more research-supported manual hands-on techniques (based on our physiotherapists assessment of you) and exercise. Our physiotherapists will decide the best course of treatment based on the injury or condition that you are encountering.

References

Shanks P, Curran M, Fletcher P, Thompson R. The effectiveness of therapeutic ultrasound for musculoskeletal conditions of the lower limb: A literature review. The Foot. 2010 Dec 1;20(4):133–9.