Ultrasound Therapy DeKalb County

Ultrasound therapy is a method of treatment commonly used during physical therapy. Its primary purpose is to apply deep heating to soft tissues in the body including muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. It is important to understand that ultrasound therapy is not the same as diagnostic ultrasound, which is typically used to see inside the body like to check the fetus in a pregnant woman. With a light gel applied to the skin in order to reduce friction and promote the transmission of ultrasonic waves at an approximate frequency range of 0.8-3.0 Mhz., the soundwaves submit a vibration through the local tissues, which causes a heating effect. Moreover, ultrasound therapy promotes tissue relaxation, local blood flow, and scar tissue breakdown in the body to treat:

Ultrasound therapy is implemented with an ultrasound machine that has an ultrasound transducer (sound head) attached. When a small amount of gel is applied to a particular body part, a physical therapist will slowly move the sound head in a small circular motion on the area. The settings for the ultrasound machine can be altered to control the intensity and depth of penetration of the ultrasound waves.

In situations where the heating effects undesirable, like with a fresh injury that produces acute inflammation, ultrasound therapy can be pulsed rather than continuously transmitted in order to reduce any discomfort the patient may feel. On the other hand, the intensity of the ultrasound may be increased during instances where breaking down scar tissue is the objective. Although breaking down scar tissue through ultrasound therapy may take a longer amount of time, the ultrasound treatment will normally take approximately 4-6 minutes, depending on the size and location of the area being treated.

If you are interested in ultrasound therapy, we can help determine if you are a good candidate for this therapy with a consultation at our Stone Mountain clinic.