Ultrasound Therapy, Imaging and Shockwaves

January 12, 2010

"Hi MCR, I keep hearing about ultrasound therapy but I get confused with the seemingly different answers I get about them. There appears to be one for healing bruises and swells. And another to 'see' inside and another to blast off pieces of our bones at the heel of our foot. Are they all the same thing?" – Swee Yong

Dear Swee Yong,

Thanks for your question. Yes, indeed it can be confusing because medical professionals tend to just to refer to it as 'ultrasound', leaving their specific context to mean which type of ultrasound.

Therapeutic Ultrasound

The first one you mentioned about healing swelling is what is called 'Therapeutic Ultrasound'. Used in physiotherapy, this is a high frequency (0.7 to 3.3Mhz) but low energy sound wave. Absoprtion of these sounds waves by the tissues causes the cells to vibrate. The vibrational energy stimulates the cell-repair effects which helps to expedite the healing process. Also, when the sound waves are absorbed into the tissues, they are converted to heat energy which helps to improve circulation.

Compared to other types of 'heat' treatments such as a hot pack, ultrasound is able to penetrate deep into the affected area. When we say 'ultrasound' in the physiotherapy context, we actually mean this form of ultrasound.

Usually at Core Concepts, we use 'therapeutic ultrasound' as an adjunct to our main treatment option as healing the tissue is not enough. We first need to fix the reason behind the tissue injury.

Ultrasound Imaging

The second type of ultrasound you mentioned to 'see' inside, is 'Ultrasound Imaging'. This the type of ultrasound device used by your OBGY to see the baby inside. Much like the 'sonar' of a submarine, sound is used to look inside. The higher the frequency of the sound, the image is sharper but does not penetrate as deeply. (7-18Mhz) for structures nearer the skins such as muscle and 1-6Mhz for deeper body parts such as livers and kidneys. Gyneas and OBGY means this when they say, 'ultrasound'.

At Core Concepts, we use a similar version of Real-Time Ultrasound Imaging to help our clients visually and confirm deeep muscle contraction, particularly for their core muscles.

Shock-wave Therapy

The last type of ultrasound you mentioned is commonly referred to as Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT). Compared to the continuous lower-energy waves of'therapeutic ultrasound, ESWT machines send higher-energy pulses 2 or 3 times per second. These high-energy shockwaves blast off hard structures like heel spurs or kidney stones. The high-pressure waves also help promote healing. ESWT is never referred to as ultrasound though all three types use sound waves.

Hope this helps clear up some of the confusion.

Written by Cheryl Ng · Filed Under Have A Question? | View Comments

Train Proprioception to Prevent Sprains

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Hi, I hear from my personal trainer that i need to train my proprioception because of my ankle sprains. What is proprioception and how is it relevant to my ankle problem? – John Koh

What is Proprioception? Read more

Written by lenia.teo · Filed Under Ankle and Foot, Have A Question?, Injury Management, Injury Prevention, Sports Injury | View Comments

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Hi,

I have come across this term, “soft-tissue work” on the internet several times. Usually it is something a therapist will say. What’s does it mean? – Agnes Choo

Written by Sylvia Ho · Filed Under Have A Question? | View Comments

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"Dear Sir, I am a lecturer and an avid, regular sports player. My feet aches every week and I go for regular foot massages. I did an analysis on my feet during one of the orthotic analysis booths at some shopping centre which reported I have high arch and pronation. I wonder what can be done to correct that and reduce my achiness? " - Mr Ho

Written by chyetuan.chng · Filed Under Ankle & Foot (NonSport), Ankle and Foot, Have A Question? | View Comments

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August 11, 2009

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My daughter has been diagnosed with Scoliosis. We are not keen on her having surgery at this point in time. I have heard about the SpineCor brace. Could you tell us a bit more about it.? Thanks. – Terence.

Written by Sylvia Ho · Filed Under Have A Question? | View Comments

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I recently took a "posture test" at a roadshow. One of those system, where your body’s alignment is measured with bright colored strings. Seems like my shoulder slopes to the right and hip aren’t quite level to the ground. But I feel fine. Should I be worried? – Eu Chen"

Written by Sylvia Ho · Filed Under Have A Question? | View Comments

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"I am a recent mother. And I have been breastfeeding my 3-month old baby daughter. Since about 2 months ago, I have started have neck aches and around my upper back. I think this is related to my breastfeeding posture. Is there anything I can do about it? Thanks in advance! – Melinda Q."

Written by Cheryl Ng · Filed Under Have A Question?, Pregnancy | View Comments

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Hi, I am suffering from neck pain. My doctor ordered an x-ray for my neck. He said there are bone spurs but there was no need for surgery. Does that mean i have to live with my neck pain permanently? Will it get worse?" – Peter

Written by Cindy Tan · Filed Under Have A Question? | View Comments

Supplements or Exercise for Osteoporosis?

June 23, 2009

Hi,

If given a choice between taking calcium supplements and exercise for osteoporosis, which should I choose? And why? Thanks." – Rosnah

Written by Shiek Abdullah · Filed Under Have A Question? | View Comments

What goes ‘crack’?

May 27, 2009

Something a fair number of us do it. And it isn’t necessarily good if it is overdone. But oh, it feels so good. What am I talking about? Cracking your knuckles of course. Obviously, you are not really cracking your finger bones, so where does the sound come from? In a word, gas.

Written by MCR · Filed Under Have A Question? | View Comments