According to experts in traumatology, the application of ultrasound is revolutionizing sports medicine. There are many pathologies that benefit from these minimally invasive techniques to achieve more effective results and faster recoveries with fewer complications.
The application of ultrasound-guided treatments (from conventional to biological therapies) for tendinopathies, muscle injuries, sports injuries, with an accuracy of 1 mm, ensure that we apply our treatments right where we want and thus obtain higher success rates.
Furthermore, as regards the application of ultrasound in the field of sports medicine, many pathologies have benefited from a new technique that consists of ‘operating without opening’, avoiding unnecessary risks that would be unavoidable with traditional open surgery.
In this article we talk about ultra minimally invasive ultrasound-guided surgery with Dr. Villanueva, a specialist in traumatology.
What pathologies benefit from the application of ultrasound in sports medicine?
Like any form of surgery, it is not applicable to all cases, but there are more and more indications.
- Twins lengthening
- Proximal Twin Lengthening
- Superficial Peroneal Nerve Entrapment
- Entrapment of the common peroneal nerve
- Ultrasound-guided arthrolysis of the toes (post-traumatic rididez)
- Spring hip
- Spring Fingers. Stenosing tenosynovitis of the fingers.
- Dupuytren’s disease
- Haglund’s Disease or Deformity
- Epicondylitis or Tennis Elbow
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Morton’s Neuroma. Plantar Interdigital Neuroma
- Runner’s Knee | Iliotibial Cintilla Syndrome
- Cicatricial Syndrome, Adhesion Syndrome
- Compartment Syndrome. Fasciotomy
- Intersection Syndrome of the Wrist
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
- Anterior Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
- Calcifying Tendinitis of the Shoulder
- Achilles Tendinopathy
- Achilles tendon paratendinosis
- Plantar Delgado Tenotomy
- Carpal Tunnel
What are the benefits of the application of ultrasound in sports and trauma injuries?
As we have said, operations with ultra minimally invasive ultrasound-guided surgery avoid unnecessary risks compared to conventional surgery, reduce pain and accelerate the recovery of many injuries.
Among the advantages or benefits of the application of ultrasound in medicine and surgery we have:
- Ambulatory surgery. The patient does not have to stay in the hospital
- Minimal incisions of 1-2mm,
- Avoids the need for ischemia (detention or decrease of blood circulation in a certain area, which produces cellular suffering due to lack of oxygen and nutrients in the affected area).
- Pain reduction
- No stitches
- No scar
- Fast recovery
- Mobility of the operated area and extremities immediately after the operation.
- Simultaneous surgeries. Several surgeries can be performed at the same time on different limbs.
- No contraindications. With this technique several surgeries can be performed at the same time on both limbs.
- It does not require sick leave in many cases, or only a few days.
Many of the myotenotomies performed in the treatment of spasticity in pediatric orthopedics can be performed with ultrasound-guided surgery, with minimal incisions, maximum safety, avoiding the multiple scars, casts and slow recoveries of conventional procedures.
Thanks to ultrasound, in some lesions, as in the case of shoulder calcifications, arthroscopic surgery -which is invasive and involves more risk- can be avoided, always depending on the size, degree of structuring and calcification.
Ultrasound-guided biceps tenotomy has also been described in cases of painful shoulder due to a massive tear of the rotator cuff of the shoulder.
Another advantage of the application of ultrasound in traumatology and sports medicine is that it makes it possible, with the minimum margin of error, to identify the damaged area quickly and exhaustively and to administer treatment exclusively in the area to be treated, avoiding side effects and increasing the chances of success.
Ultrasound-guided interventionism has meant a leap in quality for patients and safety for the physicians who use it.
Where is this surgical technique based on minimally invasive ultrasound applied?
Dr. Villanueva, medical director of Avanfi, is a pioneer in the use of ultrasound-guided minimally invasive techniques.
He has described several original techniques, has published and indexed them in the American National Library of Medicine (NIH/Pubmed) and has received exclusive international awards in this discipline.
In fact, he and his team have created and direct the Ultra Minimally Invasive Surgery Unit at the Beata María Ana Hospital in Madrid, together with the Hip and Knee Prosthesis and Prosthetic Replacement Unit.
With more than 850 hours of accredited cadaver practice, more than 1,000 patients have benefited from these surgical techniques and the applications of ultrasound in medicine and sports.
At Avanfi we do not believe that an advance is real if it cannot be transmitted and applied, so we have trained many professionals in this field.
We are convinced that for many indications it will become the gold standard for surgery, so that many prestigious professionals, in our country and around the world, will be open and willing to make available to their patients this new form of surgical approach more effective, with less risk, which is performed on an outpatient basis and in most cases avoids sick leave.