The most common reason for performing MSK sonography is to diagnose tendon disorders. Other reasons include diagnosing ligament injuries, bursitis, arthritis, muscle tears, nerve entrapment, bone fractures, and more.
Sonography allows doctors to identify soft tissue abnormalities, such as tendinosis, tenosynovitis, capsulopathy, periostitis, osteoarthritis, synovial cysts, Baker’s cyst, joint effusion, subluxation, and fracture.
In addition to identifying these conditions, ultrasound also provides information regarding the severity of each condition, which helps determine treatment options. For example, when treating shoulder impingement syndrome, physicians may prescribe physical therapy, injections, exercises, and/or surgery depending on how severe the injury is.
The ability to detect small changes in the structure of joints makes ultrasound useful for evaluating the progression of arthritis. This technique can help differentiate between early-stage osteoarthritis and normal aging.
Another benefit of ultrasound imaging is its portability. Unlike MRI scans, patients do not need to lie perfectly still during the exam. As long as they remain relaxed, they can easily move their limbs while undergoing a scan.
Ultrasound imaging is typically performed in a doctor’s office, making it convenient for both patient and physician.
Other benefits of ultrasonography include its low cost (compared to MRI) and lack of radiation exposure.
Smith highlighted several areas where musculoskeletal ultrasound was helpful with the in-office care of patients.
What is Musculoskeletal Sonography / Ultrasound?
Musculoskeletal ultrasound is an imaging technique used for evaluating soft tissue structures such as tendons, ligaments, muscles, joints, nerves, bones, blood vessels and lymph nodes. This technology allows us to view these tissues without having to open them up surgically.
The benefits of musculoskeletal ultrasound include real time visualization of the anatomy and pathologies of the body, which helps improve diagnosis and treatment planning.
It also enables accurate measurement of soft tissue thickness and length, thus helping to prevent unnecessary surgical procedures.
This procedure provides a noninvasive way of assessing joint function and muscle strength, which makes it useful in diagnosing sports injuries, arthritis, and osteoporosis.
In addition, musculoskeletal ultrasounds help detect abnormalities within the spine, extremities, pelvis, and abdomen.
A musculoskeletal ultrasound is a medical imaging technique used to visualize soft tissue structures within the body. It uses sound waves instead of x-rays for visualization. This technique is also known as sonography.
A musculoskeletal ultrasound is a medical imaging technique used to visualize soft tissue structures within the body. It uses sound waves instead of x-rays for visualization. This technique is also known as sonography.
Ultrasounds provide images of internal organs such as kidneys, liver, spleen, gallbladder, pancreas, heart, thyroid gland, blood vessels, lymph nodes, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, bones, etc.
Musculoskeletal ultrasounds are performed to diagnose muscle tears, fractures, bone injuries, tumors, arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, etc.
The most common applications include:
- Diagnosis of sports injuries (knee, shoulder, ankle)
- Determination of joint damage
- Detection of tumors and cysts
- Assessment of bone density
- Screening for osteoporosis
- Prevention of repetitive strain injury
Is a musculoskeletal ultrasound painful?
The pain of an ultrasound is very real. But it’s also very short lived. Because unlike most forms of traditional imaging, which often require sedation, ultrasounds do not cause any discomfort.
And unlike X-rays, MRI scans, CT scans, and MRIs, ultrasounds are far cheaper and much faster. So why would anyone choose to go for a traditional test when they could have an ultrasound instead?
Because ultrasounds are so fast, they are able to look inside the body without having to make multiple passes. This means that they are able to give us a full view of our organs and tissues without causing any damage.
They are safe, easy to perform, and there are no radiation risks involved. In fact, the only side effect that we experience during an ultrasound is mild pressure and warmth.
But even though ultrasounds are painless, they are still uncomfortable. Which is why they are used primarily for diagnostic purposes rather than therapeutic ones.
Ultrasound technology allows doctors to locate problems within the body quickly and accurately. This makes them invaluable tools for diagnosing conditions such as heart disease, kidney stones, gallstones, pregnancy, and tumors.
In addition to these standard uses, ultrasonography is now being used to treat patients suffering from chronic back pain.
It is believed that the low-level vibrations produced by the sound waves help to relieve muscle tension and reduce inflammation.
This helps to ease symptoms associated with fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, and repetitive strain injuries.
How long does a musculoskeletal ultrasound take?
A musculoskeletal scan takes between 15-30 minutes depending on your level of expertise and experience.
Ultrasound of joints is performed by using high frequency sound waves (generally 10-15MHz) that are transmitted through gel or water. The probe is placed on the skin over the area to be scanned and moved around until all areas have been covered.
Can an ultrasound show muscle damage?
Ultrasounds are great for showing how muscles move. But they can’t tell us whether there is any damage to them.
The problem is that when we use ultrasounds to look inside our bodies, we are actually seeing reflections of the sound waves bouncing back off the surface of the tissue. So the more dense the tissue, the stronger the reflection. This means that the deeper the tissue, the brighter the image.
But because these images are made up of bright spots, it makes it hard to distinguish between healthy and injured tissue.
This is why medical experts often rely on X-rays instead. These pictures give doctors a much clearer picture of where the injury is located.
You can also do this yourself by taking a photo of your body using a mirror. This way, you can compare the two photos side by side to determine which areas of your body are affected.
Why musculoskeletal ultrasound is superior than MRI?
Ultrasound technology offers advantages over magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for evaluating soft tissue structures such as tendons, ligaments, muscles, nerves, fasciae, periosteum, and bone. These advantages include real-time visualization of multiple planes of motion, lack of ionizing radiation, and reduced cost.
Ultrasounds provide images in two dimensions; however, MRIs provide three-dimensional images. This difference makes ultrasounds more useful when assessing bony abnormalities because conventional radiography requires an additional image plane to evaluate these abnormalities. Ultrasounds also provide greater detail and contrast resolution than MRIs.
The ability to perform dynamic studies allows us to assess muscle function and detect subtle changes in muscle tone associated with disease states. In addition, ultrasonography provides information regarding tendon structure and pathology, whereas MRI cannot.
Ultrasound is particularly well suited for evaluation of the musculoskeletal system, which includes bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerve roots. Because ultrasound uses sound waves rather than electromagnetic energy, there is no exposure to ionizing radiation, making it ideal for patients undergoing diagnostic procedures.
In comparison to MRI, ultrasound is more cost effective, takes less time, and is easier to learn. Furthermore, unlike MRI, ultrasound is portable, allowing clinicians to easily transport patients to imaging centers. As a result, ultrasound is becoming increasingly popular among physicians, physical therapists, and athletic trainers.
