Ultrasound Therapy at Menner Chiropractic

Ultrasound therapy is a treatment modality used by our doctors to treat pain conditions, and to promote tissue healing. While ultrasound therapy is not effective for all chronic pain conditions, it may help reduce your pain if you have any of the following:

  • Osteoarthritis
  • Myofascial pain
  • Bursitis
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Pain caused by scar tissue
  • Phantom limb pain
  • Sprains and strains

Types of Ultrasound Therapy

There are two main types of ultrasound therapy, thermal and mechanical. Both use sound waves generated by a transducer head (which looks a bit like a microphone) to penetrate soft tissues. The difference between the two types of ultrasound therapy is the rate at which the sound waves penetrate the tissues.

Thermal Ultrasound Therapy

Thermal ultrasound therapy uses a more continuous transmission of sound waves. The sound waves cause microscopic vibrations in the deep tissue molecules, increasing heat and friction.

The warming effect encourages healing in the soft tissues by increasing the metabolism at the level of the tissue cells.

Mechanical Ultrasound Therapy

Mechanical ultrasound therapy uses pulses of sound waves to penetrate tissues. While this still has a minor warming effect on the tissues, it also causes expansion and contraction in the tiny gas bubbles of the soft tissues. This helps to decrease the inflammatory response, reducing tissue swelling and thus decreasing pain.

The type of ultrasound therapy you receive depends on your condition. If you have myofascial pain or had a muscle strain or sprain that has not healed, your doctor will likely use thermal ultrasound therapy.

If your pain is caused by scar tissue or swelling, such as with carpal tunnel syndrome, you may benefit more from mechanical ultrasound therapy.

How Is Ultrasound Therapy Performed?

Your doctor will select a small surface area to work on for anywhere from five to 10 minutes. Gel is applied either to the transducer head or to your skin, which helps the sound waves evenly penetrate the skin. During your ultrasound therapy treatment, your therapist will continually move the transducer head over and around the selected area.

For more information about whether Ultrasound Therapy is right for you, or if you have other questions about its safety, please call 847-540-6060 to book an appointment with Dr. David Menner.

See all treatments available at Menner Chiropractic


Menner Chiropractic Sports Medicine
Eat well. Move well. Live well.

Sources

Belanger, Alain-Yvan. Evidence-Based Guide to Therapeutic Physical Agents. Lippincott Williams & Williams. 2003.
Deutscher D, Horn SD, Dickstein R et al. Associations Between Treatment Processes, Patient Characteristics, and Outcomes in Outpatient Physical Therapy Practice. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2009 Aug;90(8):1349-63
Durmus D, Durmaz Y, Canturk F. Effects of Therapeutic Ultrasound and Electrical Stimulation Program on Pain, Trunk Muscle Strength, Disability, Walking Performance, Quality of Life, and Depression in Patients with Low Back Pain: a Randomized-controlled Trial. Rheumatology International. 2009 Jul 31
FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Ultrasonic Therapy Product or Ultrasonic Diathermy. Accessed 8/11/09.