Whenever we hear the word ultrasound, the first image that conjures up in the mind are that of a pregnant lady being examined by a doctor and seeing the images her yet to be born baby. That for sure is one of the most prevalent uses of ultrasound and for a very good reason. But, that is not the only application of ultrasound. It can be used for multiple purposes including diagnostic, therapeutic and ultrasonic physiotherapy.

So what exactly is ultrasound?

It is a medical technique, used majorly for scanning, using high-frequency sound waves like those being used in Sonar and Radar by the army to detect planes. In the medical world, this technology is used by the doctors to scan and capture live images of your internal organs like the heart, lungs, gall bladder, ovaries, uterus, testicles, spleen, kidneys, pancreas and blood vessels as well as use it for physio ultrasound treatment.

The reason why it is so popular is that it is a non-invasive technique. Thus, the doctor does not need to make any invasions to capture the images. Another advantage is that, unlike other non-invasive diagnostic techniques available, this one does not use any radiation. Hence, is completely safe to be used on pregnant ladies and their unborn children. Your doctor may scan your organs when they want their internal view of symptoms like swelling and pain. They may even use this technique to guide them during medical procedures like biopsies.

As we have seen so far, there are different types of uses for Ultrasound. Some of the uses that we saw are

Diagnostic Scan – majorly used for identifying the shapes and any problems therein in any of the internal organs, bones or tissues

Ultrasonic rays physiotherapy – used for healing and improving injuries by means of physio ultrasound treatment

However, in this section, let us take a look at the different types of ultrasound methods that are being used either for scanning or for ultrasound physical therapy.

The ultrasound procedure is carried out by applying a special lubricating gel on the skin of the area to be scanned, in order to avoid friction. Then an ultrasound transducer, which resembles a microphone, is rubbed over the gel. The transducer sends out high-frequency sound waves, which are transmitted further by the gel through to your body. As the waves hit an object of high density like bone, an organ or just the tissues, it sends an echo. This echo is captured on the computer for the doctor to see.

Although this is the most common method for an ultrasound, sometimes the doctor may need better visibility and hence insert a specially designed transducer through one of the body’s natural openings like

• Transvaginal ultrasound – through the vagina of a woman for ovarian or uterus scan
• Trans-rectal ultrasound – through the rectum for a prostate diagnostic scan 
• Trans-esophageal echocardiogram – through the esophagus for heart scanning and imaging 
• Further classification is on the basis of the specific organ being scanned like
• Echocardiogram – for scanning the heart 
• Bone sonography – as the name suggests for scanning the bones 
• Doppler – for capturing the image of blood flowing through the blood vessels
• 3D or 4D ultrasounds.

What is Therapeutic Ultrasound?

One of the major uses of Ultrasound is in the form of therapeutic ultrasound used by the physiotherapists. The ultrasonic treatment in physiotherapy is used for a variety of purposes like

• Improving the rate of healing
• Breaking down the scar tissue
• Relaxing the tissue in conditions like frozen shoulder
• Improving local blood flow for conditions like chronic inflammation or localized swelling

Ultrasound therapy in physiotherapy makes use of the phenomenon called phonophoresis, which is a non-invasive method of administering any medicine to tissues lying below the skin. The non-invasive nature has made ultrasonic treatment in physiotherapy a popular option for people looking for alternative treatments as well as supplemental ones.

The ultrasonic therapy physiotherapy is a specialized skill and needs professionals for administering the same to achieve effective results.

How does it work

The ultrasound therapy in physiotherapy works based on the principle of piezoelectricity. The transducer used in ultrasound massage physiotherapy contains a small crystal. Passage of an electrical charge through this crystal causes the piezoelectric waves, which are emitted as ultrasound waves. These waves then enter the injured portion during the physiotherapy ultrasound treatment.

The physiotherapist, who is an expert on the subject, adjusts various settings so as to control the depth and intensity of the waves during ultrasonic rays physiotherapy. These waves are controlled so as to perform the desired action on the tissue as part of the physiotherapy ultrasound treatment, be it tissue heating or improving blood flow.

We at Care24 have years of experience to let us know that ultrasound physical therapy is an effective way of handling problems that can be long drawn to heal using only traditional medicines. Our expert physiotherapists are trained to perform ultrasound therapy in physiotherapy after identifying the patient’s individual needs. They are the ones who decide, whether an ultrasound massage physiotherapy is required or not, and if it is required, what will be the overall exercise plan.

When you avail the services of ultrasonic physiotherapy from any of our centers, you can rest assured that you are in the best hands. Each of our team members are carefully screened, thoroughly evaluated and professionally trained to give you the best of ultrasonic physiotherapy services.

A major concern for anyone looking for a physio ultrasound service from anywhere is the ultrasound physiotherapy cost. However, with our competent staff for ultrasonic therapy physiotherapy, we can assure you that you will be getting the best value for your money. If you have any queries regarding services, you can visit any of our centers and our team will be happy to give you all the information you need including the physio ultrasound process, duration and ultrasound physiotherapy cost designed for your specific situation.