Using Ultrasound Therapy Machines to Reduce Joint and Muscle Pain

Ultrasound therapy machines are used by trainers, chiropractors, and therapists for treating joint pain, arthritis pain, and muscle pain. Many people believe that this type of therapy alleviates their pain and also helps in their healing process.

In the ultrasound therapy, very high frequency sound waves generated by the ultrasound machines are allowed to deeply penetrate the skin of your painful or injured area. In this procedure, a probe or wand with a rounded head, which is further attached to a home ultrasound machine, is used by holding it in hand. A gel is rubbed on the skin and the probe head is then gently moved on the affected body area by making small circular motions.

The ultrasonic (high frequency) waves are generated by the vibration on the head of the hand held probe. These waves then travel all through the skin causing tissue vibration in the affected areas of the body. This vibration of tissues heats them up, resulting in many beneficial effects on the injury. This is so because now the heated area draws more blood as a result of which large amounts of nutrients are delivered to the affected area. The main aim here is to somehow increase the flow of blood so that large amounts of nutrients reach the affected cell tissues.

The dosage of therapeutic ultrasound can easily be varied by slightly altering the frequency of the ultrasound beam. All the necessary controls for achieving this are placed on the control panel of ultrasound machine. A much deeper penetration of waves is achieved when the frequency is lowered, successfully dealing with any deep tissue injury.

High frequency dosages are normally used for all those injuries which are much closer to surface of the skin. A normal therapy session lasts about 4 - 12 minutes depending upon the injury.

There are some areas which should be avoided during the usage of ultrasound therapy machines. You should never use ultrasound therapy machines near the brain, spine, face, lungs, liver, kidneys, testicles, or ovaries. Care should also be taken when ultrasound therapy machines are used on pregnant women or people taking coagulant medicines.

Ultrasound therapy is usually safe when it is administered by some trained person or therapeutic professional. This is due to the ability of the handheld probe to burn the surface tissues or even cartilage and bones if continuously, kept in place, on some area for a long duration.

Ultrasound therapy machines are now also available for fibromyalgia treatment and rehabilitation. As fibromyalgia involves a soft tissue inflammation, therefore a particular type of portable ultrasound machine is used in its treatment. It is essential to purchase quality ultrasound therapy machines, which are approved by FDA. They should also be covered with a minimum one year warranty.

Today you can also purchase ultrasound therapy machines for personal use at home. These models would cost you few hundred dollars. You should however consult your doctor before using such ultrasound therapy machines.