Ultrasound therapy leads to a reduction in local swelling and chronic inflammation, and may even promote bone fracture healing.

Are you suffering from pain resulting from injuries or other causes?

Our nerve cells send low intensity electrical signals that control our muscles.  Unhealthy nerve cells can disable the communication between the nervous system and the muscles, and the system can eventually break down altogether.  When this happens, the muscles weaken over time and that can lead to cramps, aches, pains and even immobility.

An experienced chiropractor can treat pain from neuromuscular disorders through the manipulation and massage of the spine, joints, and other tissues.

You may wonder whether massaging injured body parts can be painful.  It’s really an unnecessary worry, especially thanks to the integration of chiropractic treatment and ultrasound therapy.

When ultrasound is mentioned, most people think of pregnancy.  Ultrasound is generally used in the medical field to produce images of the human body’s internal organs by producing ultra high-frequency sound waves that are inaudible to human ears.  When you visit a chiropractor, ultrasound is used entirely differently.  Sound waves can also be felt as they vibrate upon contact, and in fact can produce a mechanical vibration so intense that it induces a micro-massage to benefit the patient.

How can just a “micro-massage” help in relieving pain?

The ultrasound micro-massage occurs at lightning speed- in fact, the sound wave resonate at more than one million cycles per second!  This oscillation is not harmful to the human body–in fact, it tends to ease muscle pain.  The vibrations penetrate about 2 to 3 inches into the body and they initiate deep heat within the muscle by way of friction.   This sensation of the massage is not painful due to the manner in which it enters the body, and it is only felt at all at the site of treatment.

How can my chiropractor utilize ultrasound as micro-massage?

Technically, it’s a quite simple process.  Chiropractors apply onto the areas of the body that need to be treated, take the ultrasound device (as small as an ordinary cell phone) and massage it carefully into the skin where aching or pain is felt.  Sound waves are transmitted from the device through the gel and into the body.

Treatment will typically last 3-5 min long depending on the size of the treatment area and the severity of pain involved.  Once the treatment is completed, the patient is usually advised to stretch and be mobile for a short while to assist the gradual opening of his or her blood vessels and increase blood flow, which in turn leads to a reduction in local swelling and chronic inflammation, and may even promote bone fracture healing.  The intensity of the ultrasound can be adjusted depending on the desired effect.

Does the skin suffer dryness and can this cause damage to the tissues?

No, the treatment does not dry the skin and no damage occurs.  Ultrasound does not use ionizing agents such as radiation, and it is a non-invasive alternative to injections and pills.

Whether it is with heat, light, electricity or any number of alternative means, chiropractors are open to trying different therapies in the name of healing their patients.  That is why chiropractic medicine is generally considered alternative medicine; it is not bound by one simple technique.  It is a combination of techniques based around the central concept of diagnosing and treating patients with health problems of the musculoskeletal system and the effects of those problems on the nervous system and the patient’s general health.