Healthy Life
Musculoskeletal ultrasound has been used for diagnostic purposes for a long time, but it began to be used in daily practice worldwide in the late 1990s. Over the past 10-15 years, its use has become quite widespread in our country, especially in physical therapy and rehabilitation clinics.
Injections under ultrasound guidance can be used for all joint injections, lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), shoulder impingement syndrome, foot flexor tendinitis, Achilles tendinitis, calcific tendinitis, heel spurs, carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, tarsal tunnel syndrome, piriformis syndrome, Morton’s neuroma, and trigger finger. Botulinum toxin applications can also be safely performed under ultrasound guidance in the treatment of spasticity seen in patients with spinal cord injury, stroke, or traumatic brain injury.
In terms of content, all substances used for the decided treatment, such as PRP, cortisone, local anesthetics, stem cells, botulinum toxin, and dextrose for prolotherapy, can be administered using this method.
Injections performed under ultrasound guidance allow for the precise visualization of the area to be injected. Additionally, when the anatomical structures in the injection area are visualized, it is possible to reach the injection site without damaging surrounding blood vessels, nerves, or tendons.
As a result, it is less painful, safer, and, as studies have shown, more effective. In our field, the term "targeted therapy" is often used to describe ultrasound.
When the anatomical structures in the injection area are visualized, it is possible to reach the injection site without damaging surrounding blood vessels, nerves, or tendons.
Ultrasound is a method that provides imaging using high-frequency sound waves that cannot be heard by the human ear. The working principle of ultrasound is based on the different reflections of sound waves from different tissues and organs. With technological advancements, it has become possible to examine tissues such as muscles, joints, tendons, nerves, and ligaments in detail using ultrasound devices.
Ultrasound devices, which are very helpful in diagnosing musculoskeletal diseases, are also used in local injection treatments. Applications such as PRP, prolotherapy, neural therapy, dry needling, Botox, hyaluronic acid injection, and joint fluid drainage, targeting joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and nerve entrapments, increase the effectiveness of treatment when performed under ultrasound guidance. Because with ultrasound, injections can be administered accurately to the right place, in the appropriate dose, without damaging structures such as nerves and blood vessels.
This method, which does not contain radiation, also provides an alternative imaging option in cases where magnetic resonance (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) cannot be performed.
Ultrasound has been increasingly used for the past 40 years. Initially used only by radiologists, ultrasound has gradually begun to be used by doctors in other specialties as well. Especially obstetricians, urologists, and cardiologists use ultrasound very effectively. Over the last 10 years, parallel to advances in imaging techniques, ultrasound devices have also developed. With the development of high-frequency linear probes, detailed observation of superficial soft tissues has become possible. In this context, muscles, nerves, tendons, and ligaments can be examined very clearly with ultrasound, greatly aiding in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal diseases. Today, musculoskeletal ultrasound is used for diagnostic purposes in a wide range of conditions, from nerve entrapments and muscle diseases to ligament injuries and tendon disorders.
In recent years, ultrasound has been used not only for diagnosis but also for injection guidance in the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. Local injection applications are a frequently used treatment method for musculoskeletal diseases. Especially for extracting fluid from affected joints and administering certain medications (cortisone, local anesthetics, sodium hyaluronate, Botox) into joints and soft tissues, injection methods are used. When injections are performed with the right medication, for the right patient, and at the right place, they can provide highly effective treatment. The accuracy of the injection site is extremely important for the success of the treatment. Studies show that when injections into joints such as the shoulder, hip, and even knee are performed without ultrasound guidance, the medication often does not reach the correct site. This explains why some injections into these types of joints are extremely successful, while others are not. Clinical studies indicate that the success rate of injection treatments increases from 40-50% to 80-90% when ultrasound is used.
It is an undeniable fact that ultrasound ensures that the injection is performed at the correct site, without damaging other tissues (nerves, blood vessels), and correctly. This is the most important factor affecting the success of the treatment.