| Ultrasound therapy is often used to treat pain such as | | | | treated and the ultrasound head is much larger than |
| knee, hip, elbow, finger, knuckle, TMJ, back pain and | | | | the knuckle or ankle joint. Rather than choosing a |
| radiating sciatica pain but if the caregiver or therapist is | | | | machine with a smaller head or changing the head or |
| not careful the choice of the head size may defeat | | | | applicator the procedure is tried and the unit actually |
| the treatment. | | | | turns off during the initial start of the treatment. Without |
| As previously discussed in our article on using | | | | the warning bells and whistles the treatment continues |
| ultrasound and also choosing which frequency it is | | | | although the ultrasound energy is off. This historically |
| equally important to choose the right head size for the | | | | was not uncommon and often the patient and care |
| ultrasound machine application. Ultrasound will not flow | | | | giver assumed a treatment had been given when in |
| through air and if the head of the applicator is too large | | | | actuality it had not. |
| for the area being treated then the ultrasound machine | | | | The other issue with head size is making sure the size |
| will repeatedly turn itself off as a safety mechanism to | | | | of the head area is actually emitting ultrasonic energy. |
| prevent harm to the patient. | | | | In the past a crystal was placed under the head and it |
| As an example if the head of the applicator is much | | | | may have been only 1/4th the size of the applicator |
| larger than the area being treated and the area being | | | | head that was visible. It was natural to assume the |
| treated is rounded then it's not uncommon for most of | | | | energy was coming from the entire visible head but |
| the surface area of the head to be literally touching air, | | | | again it was not since the crystal, from which the |
| rather than touching the skin surface to disperse the | | | | ultrasound comes from, was proportionally small |
| ultrasonic energy. Air is an insulator and the best | | | | compared to the head. What this meant was the area |
| ultrasound machines detect a "non contact" area and | | | | thought to have been treated had not been due to the |
| immediately turn off. This is done due to the air being a | | | | assumption the head area was emitting in 100% of the |
| resistor and also safeguards the ultrasound machine | | | | surface area. |
| from overheating. | | | | Today it's very important to deal with knowledgeable |
| The most common example of this happening is when | | | | reputable people who understand the dynamics of |
| a joint such as knuckle, elbow, ankle or knee is being | | | | ultrasound therapy. |