Ultrasound for back pain is a time-tested method of delivering heat into deep tissues, thereby alleviating stiffness and increasing circulation, as well as improving cellular metabolic response. Ultrasound has been a popular and widely practiced medical treatment for a very long time now, with varying applications proving just how valuable this technology can be for both diagnosis and symptomatic therapy. Doctors often refer to ultrasound treatment as deep heat diathermy.
This essay examines the uses of ultrasound technology in the back and neck pain treatment sectors of medicine.
What is Ultrasound for Back Pain?
Ultrasound is a heat therapy which uses sound waves to penetrate deeply into the back muscles and spinal structures, increasing temperature in the treated area. Unlike superficial topical heat, ultrasound will penetrate into the body instead of simply warming the skin on the surface.
Ultrasound is painless and can be used virtually on any area of the anatomy. In fact many patients find this to be a pleasing and relaxing therapy to have performed. When heat therapy is advised for a particular back pain condition, there may be no better method of delivery than deep tissue ultrasound.
Deep Heat for Back Pain Uses
Ultrasound which is utilized to generate heat in the muscles, tendons and ligaments is primarily used for rehabilitation applications. Many physical therapists employ ultrasound to help patients overcome injury and recover from back surgery procedures. The technology is especially useful for relieving the muscular tightness and the associated limited range of motion common to these conditions. The best uses for ultrasound are to aid in rebuilding and repairing damage which is already finished with the primary healing phase.
Ultrasound should not generally be used for acute back pain, since it may increase or instigate inflammation which can make the symptomatic expression worse. Remember, heat within the first 48 hours after injury is not generally advised, but ice may be a better therapeutic solution. In a professional care setting, cryotherapy might be ideal for the first day or two of symptomatic onset.
Ultrasound for Back Pain Advice
Ultrasound is great for rehabilitating back muscle injuries or getting a postoperative patient back to full functionality. It is not an ideal solution for patients with recent injuries or chronic pain conditions. Although ultrasound can provide relief to many people with chronic back muscle pain, the treatment is incredibly short lived and purely symptomatic in nature. In virtually all of these cases, the patient should not overly rely on ultrasound and instead, should concentrate on finding the real underlying reason why the chronic symptoms exists.
For ongoing oxygen deprivation syndromes which are some of the most prevalent varieties of long-term and unresponsive back pain issues, the regional ischemia will be temporarily reversed with heat, potentially helping to diagnose the condition as being of mindbody origin. However this can only help if the care provider is actively looking for a link to the psychosomatic process, which does not often occur. Remember, mindbody syndromes must be addressed using emotional practices, since physical treatments tend to perpetuate the painful expressions, rather than resolving symptoms.
