Ultrasound is a constantly evolving imaging technique that uses ultrasound to view the structures of the human body. The validity of musculoskeletal ultrasound is well proven and technological advances in recent years have made both the equipment and the images improve substantially and we can diagnose more and better.
Ultrasound is a cheap, available, accessible, accessible, harmless, dynamic imaging technique that has become one of the complementary explorations to aid in the diagnosis of the pathology of the locomotor system.
Musculoskeletal ultrasound is an excellent diagnostic imaging tool to evaluate soft tissues, providing anatomical detail, multiplanar visualization and in real time.
It is a type of ultrasound that assesses the locomotor system (tendons, ligaments, muscles, bone…) from its ultrasound anatomy to the wide range of its pathology, and also serves for treatment and subsequent follow-up. With high-end equipment and high frequency probes (MHZ) and in expert hands can also assess the nerves and their pathology.
Another of the strengths of musculoskeletal ultrasound is the ability to perform a dynamic study in real time where you can assess how tendon and muscle structures behave with movement and this makes the diagnosis and subsequent treatment more accurate and effective.
In the musculoskeletal ultrasound is especially relevant a good anamnesis and physical examination that we complement with ultrasound, to better focus its implementation and interpretation of the visualized.
What is musculoskeletal ultrasound for?
Musculoskeletal ultrasound is used to assess the tendons, ligaments, muscles, bones, blood vessels and nerves of the locomotor system.
It is a technique suitable for the entire population and can even be used in children and pregnant women, because it does not emit ionizing radiation.
It does not require specific prior preparation except for comfortable clothing that is easy to remove.
What disorders can be treated?
Musculoskeletal ultrasound can be used to visualize a series of anatomical structures, mainly the soft tissues, such as the skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscles, peripheral nerves, ligaments, bursae, the synovial joint capsule and bone surfaces. Different problems can be localized in them, such as trauma injuries, overuse, sports injuries, infections, inflammatory pathology, tumors…
When is musculoskeletal ultrasound used?
Musculoskeletal ultrasound is mainly used to assess injuries of the locomotor system:
- Morphological assessment.
- Assessment of lesions: extensions, deep superficial involvement, characterization of lesions to differentiate between malignancy and benignity.
- Early diagnosis of lesions or tumors, together with ultrasound-guided punctures or biopsies.
- In the shoulder, it is useful for tendon or rotator cuff tears. 80% of shoulder pathology is diagnosed with ultrasound.
- Elbow, knee, legs.
- Wrist: early changes of rheumatoid arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Hip: inflammation of the bursae or tendons, presence of fluid in the joints or neonatal hip.
- Sprains or ligamentous tears of the ankle.
- Fasciitis, cysts in the foot.
- Foreign bodies in soft parts.
Is there any risk in ultrasound?
Ultrasound is a safe technique, although it has some limitations, since, if its parameters have not been optimized, it is not possible to obtain an optimal image.
In turn, ultrasound is a test that needs to be performed by a dependent operator, and requires the operator to be an expert in the field.
At the same time, the patient cannot always be scanned as desired. An example would be for example fat, gas present in the body or bones, which may prevent the ultrasound from passing through these tissues and therefore not obtaining valid images for diagnosis.
In conclusion, it can be said that ultrasound is an excellent tool for diagnosing musculoskeletal pathologies as long as it is in the hands of trained professionals and with adequate equipment.