An ultrasound or sonography is an imaging tool that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of what’s inside the body. The technology is similar to the sonar technology used by the military. An ultrasound can produce images of the blood vessels, tissues, and organs without having to make an incision in the skin.
What makes ultrasounds so great is that they are one of the few diagnostic tools that do not rely on radiation, which is why they are used to see developing fetuses inside the uterus. Ultrasounds offer quick and easy images of inside the body so doctors can efficiently see what’s going on inside the body. This helps them get you on appropriate treatment plans as fast as possible.
Ultrasound For Diagnostics
An ultrasound is most well-known for its use on pregnant women. However, ultrasound technology is also widely used in the diagnosis of health conditions. It can even guide doctors in biopsies.
Ultrasounds can be used to view and assess issues with:
- Blood vessels
- Uterus
- Brain
- Bladder
- Gallbladder
- Eyes
- Kidneys
- Spleen
- Liver
- Ovaries
- Pancreas
- Thyroid
- Testicles
- Muscles
- Tendons
- Ligaments
- Joints
The high-frequency sound waves produced by the ultrasound machine bounces off the soft tissues and organs and subsequently produce images in the form of a sonogram. Ultrasound technology aids your doctor in making a clear and accurate diagnosis. With a proper clinical diagnosis with ultrasound images to back it up, your doctor can create an effective treatment plan.
Diagnosing Musculoskeletal Conditions with Ultrasound
Ultrasounds can detect a wide range of conditions and diseases, including musculoskeletal conditions. They can be used to diagnose muscle sprains and strains, tendon tears, ligament tears, nerve entrapments, fluid collections in the bursae, rheumatoid arthritis, and foreign bodies in the soft tissues. Ultrasounds are commonly used to diagnose sports injuries.
Ultrasound Safety
Ultrasound technology is very safe and carries no risk of infection or radiation exposure. Getting an ultrasound is a totally painless and non-invasive procedure. You will lay still while a transducer is gently pressed onto the skin. There is little to no known risks associated with ultrasounds.
Unlike other imaging tests, ultrasounds do not require you to get into tight spaces that may make you uncomfortable. You simply lay comfortably in a doctor’s clinic room while a nurse or doctor performs the ultrasound using the small ultrasound machine. The entire scan can take as little as a few minutes to complete.
For some patients, ultrasound is enough to make a diagnosis. However, for others, it is the first step to finding out what’s going on inside the body. The physician may order more tests with a higher detail such as the computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, depending on the findings in the ultrasound.
Sports Medicine and Orthopedics in Panama City, Florida
At Florida Sports Medicine and Orthopedics, our orthopedic team uses state-of-the-art and effective tools to get patients accurate diagnoses for their conditions. We use ultrasounds to diagnose a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions and orthopedic injuries and conditions.
