30th Apr 2021
Ultrasound Therapy for Sports Injuries
How therapeutic ultrasound reduces recovery time
Sports and recreation activities have a positive impact on health and fitness, but always carry the risk of injury. Sports injuries range from mild to debilitating and include:
- Sprains and strains
- Fractured bones
- Concussions
- Traumatic brain injuries
Who Can Benefit from Ultrasound Therapy Treatments
Whether a person is a professional athlete or someone who plays for fun, treatment of sports injuries sometimes require rehabilitation in order to return to full function. Some of the common side effects of sports injuries are:
- Acute pain
- Swelling and Edema
- Loss of Range of Motion
When treating sports injuries in rehabilitation it’s important to use the right tools. Ultrasound therapy treatments can reduce these symptoms and improve recovery time. Therapists and trainers regularly use therapeutic ultrasound and successfully enable patients to return to daily activities. Basic ultrasound therapy is a great tool to utilize for myriad sports injuries.
How Therapeutic Ultrasound Positively Aids in Treating Sports Injuries
Ultrasound therapy has a beneficial thermal effect that is created by the ultrasound waves. During treatment, the ultrasound waves create a vibration within the treated area and surrounding tissues. This vibration stimulates the production of collagen (more on that later) and creates a deep heat within the tissues. This deep heat affects the muscle tissues, ligaments, tendons, scar tissue and fibrous joint capsules and aids in:
- Reducing pain
- Lessening muscle spasms
- Facilitating tissue repair
It is this last benefit, facilitating tissue repair, that is believed to improve recovery times following a sports injury. When a patient is treated using an ultrasound therapy machine, more mast cells are brought to the injured area. This influx of cells improves blood flow to the injured tissue, which improves the inflammatory response of the body after an injury.
What’s more, therapeutic ultrasound stimulates collagen, which we mentioned above, and collagen is the main building-block in tendons and ligaments. This boost in collagen helps facilitate and accelerate tissue repair and healing. And as the collagen matures, it has a positive benefit on any fibrous scar tissue that may form as a result of the injury.
Using Therapeutic Ultrasound to Treat Sports Injuries
Several scientific studies have proven the outlined benefits when using therapeutic ultrasound to treat sports injuries. Here is a snapshot of just a few of the studies.
- Bone healing: A study published in the British Medical Bulletin found that low-intensity, pulsed “ultrasound therapy was beneficial in promoting bone and tendon healing after a sports injury.”
- Tissue repair: Another study published in Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research found that low-intensity, pulsed therapeutic ultrasound helped facilitate cartilage repair after a patellar injury.
- Ligament restoration: This study published in the Journal of Ultrasound Medicine found that the use of ultrasound therapy enhanced the healing of ligament injuries.
Whether a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, when someone sustains a sports injury, the concern is returning to full function in daily activities as efficiently as possible. The use of ultrasound therapy is a great tool to use in rehabilitation to reduce the recovery time and improve the healing process for most sports injuries.
Shop Ultrasound Therapy Machines for Sale
If you’re shopping for a new ultrasound device or accessories, here are the links to our best selling clinical and home ultrasound therapy machines for sale…
- Ultrasound Therapy Units
- Portable Ultrasound Therapy Machines
- Ultrasound Applicators
- Parts and Accessories
- Ultrasound Therapy Gel