Patient Education
Ultrasound Therapy
The more you understand your body and how it functions, the better equipped you'll be at taking care of yourself to achieve optimal health. Our team of chiropractic professionals empower patients to take charge of your own health and future, educating you about your condition to decrease your need for future care. We've included the Patient Education section on our website to provide you with valuable, practical wellness information which you can incorporate into your lifestyle to improve the quality of your life. We hope you will turn to these pages whenever you have a question about health related issues and urge you to contact our practice at any time to make an appointment with Dr. Michael Cheng.
Many of us have heard about how ultrasound is used as a diagnostic test to explore disease process and injury in the human body. Diagnostic ultrasound, for example, can be used to look at joints, nerve roots, tendons, ligaments and muscles and pinpoint signs of inflammation and scar tissue. In some cases, ultrasound helps the chiropractor identify the proper course of treatment.
But ultrasound has another exciting application in the form of deep heat therapy.
Therapeutic ultrasound uses heated sound waves and applies the energy to soft tissues and joints. The fast-moving waves essentially massage soft tissues effortlessly and, in most cases, painlessly.
Therapeutic ultrasound:
- Alleviates muscle spasms
- Reduces inflammation and swelling
- Improves range of motion
- Helps increase blood flow
- Lowers pain and stiffness
Therapeutic ultrasound is typically applied using a small, hand-held wand.
Therapeutic ultrasound is often used as one method to treat lower back pain. It is not used to treat acute inflammatory conditions or in patients who have had a laminectomy.