The Healing Properties of Sound Waves

Sound is a mover and a shaker. It tickles the inner ear to allow us to hear and shatters fine crystal with sustained operative notes. It agitates the substances through which it passes and richochets off surfaces that resist its motion. Sound does what it does because it makes waves.

When the frequency of these waves is beyond the range of human hearing, they're termed ultrasonic.

Three Benefits of Ultrasound

1 - The ability of ultrasound to penetrate deep into body tissue, reaching the desired target. Many modalities, such as diathermy, have the ability to produce heat. The absorption and heat production is in the fat instead of muscle, whereas, in ultrasound, heat production is in the muscle instead of the fat. Ultrasound heat production is much deeper with less surface heating than the other types of heating devices.

2 - Ultrasound produces heat as the sound waves rub against cell molecules and cause them to vibrate. Ultrasound can penetrate into the joint, and in acute cases, that's what is needed. It has the ability to increase production of natural lubricants in the joint, reduce swelling, break down undesired and painful calcium formation, and increase blood supply.

3 - Muscles, when spastic, constrict blood vessels. Ultrasound relaxes these spastic muscles increasing blood flow, since the blood vessels are no longer constricted. This, in turn, will have a very positive effect on the body.

Using ultrasound at an energy level just strong enough to pass through skin and muscle and partially penetrate bone, it is able to speed up healing of fractures. At this lower energy setting, ultrasound acts as a trigger to speed up wound repair without heating the tissue or causing the fracture site to vibrate.

Ultrasound is an efficient therapy when used on the continuous setting for relaxing muscles in situations where the patient in not in acute pain. When used on the pulsed setting, ultrasound will be most effective over areas of chronic inflamation to remove edema or stasis.

General Indications for Ultrasound

• Bursitis
• Radiculitis
• Calcific Bursitis
• Raynaud's Phenomenon
• Causalgia
• Rhematoid Arthitis
• Decubital Ulcers
• Scars
• Fibrositis
• Shoulder-Hand Syndrome
• Herpes Zoster
• Sprains
• Joint Contractures
• Spurs
• Myalgia
• Strains
• Neuromas
• Tendonitis
• Osteoarthritis
• Trigger Points
• Painful Neuroma
• Varicose Ulcers
• Periarthritis