The follow-up of soft-tissue injuries is usually done by means of ultrasound scans, allowing us to locate the lesion and determine its severity. Dr. García Garralón, an expert in traumatology, talks about the advantages of soft-tissue ultrasound in the treatment of soft-tissue injuries.
Soft-tissue injuries are those that occur in the skin, subcutaneous cellular tissue, aponeuroses, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Many occur acutely in sports due to impact or chronically following microtrauma due to overuse. Traumatic soft tissue injuries can be closed, usually referred to as contusions, or open, ranging from excoriations to more or less penetrating wounds.
Most common soft tissue injuries
● Muscle injuries; including in this group muscle strains, avulsions and ruptures, there are 3 degrees depending on whether the myotendinous junction is null, partially or totally affected.
● Tendon injuries or tendinopathies: located in the myotendinous junction, in the body of the tendon or in the enthesis or zone of anchorage to the bone. It encompasses from inflammation (tendinitis) to degeneration (tendinosis).
Ligament injuries or sprains, when the injury involves all or part of a ligament. Usually due to a twisting mechanism.
Ultrasound-guided follow-up of soft tissue injuries.
Musculoskeletal ultrasound allows us to evaluate most locomotor system injuries located in muscles, tendons and ligaments. It is currently considered the initial procedure of choice in pathologies of the locomotor system, being essential for the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries.
In acute muscular pathology there is a certain degree of hemorrhage that sometimes is not reabsorbed, being necessary its ultrasound-guided emptying for the recovery of the lesion and to avoid functional limitations, retraction and pain. It is, therefore, a defining factor in the follow-up of the healing process, which will depend on the extent of the lesion.
Advantages of ultrasound-guided follow-up
● It is completely innocuous, it does not emit ionizing radiation like X-rays or magnetic waves like MRI, so it can be used in all patients, in an unlimited and continuous way.
It is a very valuable tool for the follow-up of lesions, as there is no limitation to its application.
● Dynamic ultrasound allows us to see the anatomical structures in motion, a fact that provides essential information for the diagnosis and follow-up of muscle and tendon injuries.
● Quick to perform and low cost.
● With ultrasound-guided infiltrations we can access the lesions and deposit the treatment (corticosteroid, PRP or hyaluronic acid) with the utmost precision, increasing its effectiveness and eliminating the risk of damaging neighboring structures, keeping the space to be treated visible at all times. Providing immediate pain relief will allow us to opt for a functional recovery pattern in the fastest and most effective way.
● Allows drainage of intramuscular hematomas and emptying of effusions of any origin.
Today it is considered unacceptable to perform these acts without the aid of ultrasound.