What is Therapeutic Ultrasound?

Therapeutic Ultrasound is a method of stimulating tissue beneath the skin's surface using sound waves. It is a very high frequency massage that can penetrate up to 4" below the surface of the skin.

The sound waves are very high frequency, typically between 800,000Hz and 2,000,000Hz. The sound can not be heard by humans or animals. Humans can only hear sounds up to about 20,000Hz. This very high frequency sound, like medicine, affects very small molecules and cells in the body and actually causes them to move.

How ultrasound energy is transferred into the body is a function of many factors. The frequency of the ultrasound waves is actually opposite to how deep they will penetrate the body. A 1MHz ultrasound will penetrate about 4" below the skin whereas a 2MHz ultrasound unit will only penetrate about 2". While a low frequency means deeper penetration, using too low a frequency will mean that the waves are too wide to properly move the molecules. For therapeutic applications, 1MHz is the optimal frequency for both effect and penetration.

Power output is another significant factor. It is measured in watts per square centimeter. The higher the power, the more energy is transferred into the body. If too high a power output is used and an ultrasound unit is left sitting still on the body, it is possible to burn the tissue beneath the skin. While several professional ultrasound machines are capable of these high powers, your medical practitioner will typically use a low power setting below 1 watt / centimeter squared. More power is not necessarily better. Practitioners usually use higher powers to speed up treatments. It is actually more effective to use a lower power setting for a longer period of time.

The power output rating is often broken down into two separate units, peak intensity and average intensity. Peak intensity can be thought of as how tall the waves are that are being sent into the body. The waves need to be large enough to affect the tissue and provide the desired massage effect. At the same time, the body tissue needs breaks between groups of waves to cool down. So, Ultrasound machines actually send the waves in groups giving the body a vibrate-rest-vibrate-rest effect. The average intensity is a measure of how much energy is transferred over a period vibrate-rest cycles.

Ultrasound machines provide a Total Power Output rating. High power units are typically used with large applicator heads to do larger parts of the body. The important measurement part of ultrasound is the watts per square centimeter mentioned above, not the total unit power. Again, it is more effective to treat the affected area more frequently and for longer periods with lower power.

When applied directly to the skin an ultrasound head cannot effectively transfer the sound waves into the body. To make it work properly, a conductive medium is required - ultrasound gel. The gel simply makes it possible for the sound waves to travel from the unit head into the body. Ultrasound without gel is ineffective and can damage the ultrasound machine.

What does it do?

The heating and massaging effects of Therapeutic Ultrasound have two primary benefits. First, it increases blood flow in the treated area which speeds the healing process. Second, it reduces swelling and edema which are the main sources of pain.

Ultrasound can also be used to administer therapeutic medicines into the body. In such a case there are 3 benefits to a treatment, the first two from the massaging effect of ultrasound discussed above, and the third from administering the medication. This is a process known as phonophoresis. Ultrasound with Phonophoresis is rapidly becoming more popular than Ultrasound Therapy alone.

For most injuries and ailments, a cycle of ultrasound therapy usually consists of 5-10 minute treatments 2-3 times per day for the duration of the healing period. This surpises many people who have gone for single treatments in clincs only 2 or 3 times each week. This has everything to do with the cost and convenience for the customer. A proper course of therapeutic ultrasound treatments consists of 3 to 10 minute treatments 2 to 4 times per day.

Ultrasound is just a fancy term for the emission of high energy sound waves. (no, you cannot hear it - the frequency is far too low for your ears to pick it up!) The neat part is that in the 1940's, they discovered that these sound waves can penetrate deep below the skin, where muscle, tendons and ligaments absorb these sound waves.

So what happens when muscle (and ligaments and tendons...) absorb these sound waves?

They vibrate!! They vibrate so quick you can barely feel anything, although you will know it is working because it starts to warm up. Think of the deepest muscle massage you have ever had, and think deeper... and better. Okay, now... you're getting it.

What else happens?

One word ... or is it two? Bloodflow! Enhanced supersonic vibration, right at the point it's needed, will quickly get much more blood flowing in the area. So now, think about what inflammation really is... ok prepare yourself!

Blood vessels are dilated upstream of an infection (causing redness and heat) and constricted downstream while capillary permeability to the affected tissue is increased, resulting in a net loss of blood plasma into the tissue - giving rise to edema or swelling. The swelling distends the tissues, compresses nerve endings, and thus causes pain.

"inflammation." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 22 Mar. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/inflammation

(wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia - check it out sometime! It's a great tool.)

Anyway - back to it. Ultrasound treatment on inflamed tissue increases blood flow in the area, and in a nutshell, this increased blood flow brings in needed nutrients and decreases inflammation! Now, there are various levels of inflammation, and ultrasound isn't always recommended - but that's why you need to talk to your veterinarian. Make sure that Ultrasound is right for your horse!

What can be Treated With Ultrasound?

An incredibly wide variety of ailments are treated using ultrasound. Essentially, anywhere there is a desire to promote blood circulation and reduce swelling and edema, ultrasound will help.

Injuries to the tendons, ligaments, muscles and cartilage are treated primarily with ultrasound. Ultrasound helps to reduce swelling and edema which in turn greatly reduces the pain from the injury. The stimulated tissue and increased blood flow speed the healing process. Typically, these types of injuries are very slow to heal. Regular applications of ultrasound over the duration of the healing period will significantly reduce pain and the time to heal.

Most professional athletes use ultrasound as a preventative modality to protect against injury and equine athletes should be no different. Using ultrasound before and after very strenuous activities aids in the warm-up warm-down process. Equine athletes with chronic ailments from previous injuries should use ultrasound to promote circulation to the injured area and to reduce swelling and pain which may impact their performance.

Horses that suffer from chronic ailments associated with swelling and pain also gain great benefit from ultrasound. Ailments which are not chronic such as sprains and strians can be treated and eliminated with ultrasound. For conditions such as arthritis, ultrasound cannot cure the disease but it can reduce the pain and swelling significantly which allows horses to resume a more pain free life. When used for treating painful conditions such as these, ultrasound is typically applied using a medicated gel to gain the phonophoretic benefit as well.

Equine therapists are increasingly offering ultrasound treatments in conjunction with regular massage as a pain free method of releasing trigger points and knots in all the muscles. Using ultasound on the trigger points of injured muscles helps to relax the muscle from the trauma of the injury. When relaxed the muscle can heal from its injury much more quickly and more effectively with less scar tissue. While full body ultrasound treatments are not practical, ultrasound treatments on localized trouble areas are very effective.

Where can my horse get Therapeutic Ultrasound?

Traditional Ultrasound Therapy treatments can be obtained from Equine Veterinarians and Equine Therapists, or you can order online from Shop.AidMyEquine.com. Included with your order is a sample of our Ultrasound Ultrasound Gel.

Ultrasound Home Therapy Ultrasound Kits

The Ultrasound Home Therapy Kit is designed for horses that require or owners and trainers that desire regular ultrasound treatments on their horses. Compact, light weight, safe, portable and very easy to use it provides people with a means to give their horses convenient regular ultrasound treatments.

The units come with our naturally medicated ultrasound gel that, through the process of phonophoresis, delivers anti-inflammatory and pain relieving ingredients deep into the body. The combination of phonophoretically delivered medications and regular ultrasound therapy provide incredible pain relief and speeds the healing process.

Ultrasound Ultrasound Kits are radically changing lives and the professional therapeutic community. A low cost, safe, easy-to-use unit allows professionals to provide their patients owner or trainer with units to take home and use for the duration of the healing process. This means that treatments 3 times per day, every day, instead of just a couple times per week. That's 10 times as often - 10 times the benefit - meaning a much less painful and more speedy recovery.