Ultrasound in Regenerative Medicine

If you have ever experienced joint stiffness or pain, then you are well familiar at how aggravating it can be to go through your normal routine feeling less than your best. Bur for people all around the globe, pain such as that and more is an everyday part of life – especially if there is a debilitating disease or significant injury that causes the pain! For years, the most common approach to dealing with the pain has been surgery or medicine. However, there have been some recent successful approaches to treating the pain – one of which is the use of ultrasound guided, non-surgical treatment.

Recently, it has been found that ultrasound can be used to assist in the introduction of protein molecules to a damaged joint. The protein is already in the body but is often in low amounts. Researchers have now discovered that ultrasounds can be used to assist with injections of this much needed protein to deliver it more specifically to area of pain. The protein is then able to attach itself directly to the injured area so that healing and regeneration of the cartilage and muscles can occur.

This advancement in regenerative medicine has been a catalyst for people who suffer from osteoporosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic headaches, arthritis and other joint affecting issues to receive pain relief and even healing without needing surgery!

Some common uses that ultrasound in regenerative medicine can help include the following:

·      Tendon tears, or tendinitis of the rotator cuff in the shoulder, Achilles tendon in the ankle and other tendons throughout the body

·      Muscle tears

·      Masses or fluid collections

·      Ligament sprains or tears

·      Inflammation or fluid (effusions) within the bursae and joints

·      Nerve entrapments such as carpal tunnel syndrome

·      Soft tissue masses (lumps/bumps)

·      Foreign bodies in the soft tissues (such as splinters or glass)

In addition to these issues, the ultrasound regenerative approach can also be used to treat sports injuries, making time from injury to active return much quicker.  More importantly, the use of ultrasound regenerative medicine is especially great thanks in part to the use of portable ultrasound equipment. This is because cost effective, carefully target treatment can be started more quickly, which results in better patient outcomes.

Each of these issues – be they due to a sports injury, genetics or repetitive usage – can make living life to its fullest difficult. By using ultrasounds as part of the treatment process, we can streamline the treatment process and people can be back to their daily activities, pain-free, sooner rather later.

As time goes on, we anticipate many more uses for ultrasound to be discovered. As providers of ultrasound systems, we are happy to answer your questions and help you determine what type of ultrasound design will best meet your needs. Give us a call today to learn more.