DIAGNOSTIC ULTRASOUND
Ultrasound image of a markedly swollen ankle tendon (red circle at right side of image) compared to normal
Wouldn't it be great if you could walk into your doctor's office, point with your finger and say, "It hurts right here," and the doctor could look inside and see exactly what the problem is?
That's the reality of diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound! Ultrasound allows us to look under the skin and see damage to tendons, muscles, ligaments and nerves - right there in the exam room! And unlike x-rays, MRIs and CT scans, with ultrasound we can watch happens during movement, because sometimes you can only see a problem during motion.
At Valley Sports Physicians we're experts in diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSK US). In fact, we teach other physicians around the country how to do ultrasound!
Ultrasound doesn't replace x-rays or MRIs. Each type of test serves a special role. For example, x-rays are best at looking at bones. MRIs are great for looking inside joints at cartilage. Ultrasound excels at looking at the soft tissues outside the joint, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves.
The challenge with ultrasound is that it takes a long time to get good at it! Many physicians take one or two weekend courses to learn MSK US. But to really excel at it takes years of training and practice. At Valley Sports Physicians we've been doing MSK US since 2008, and teaching it since 2009. Few practices in the country have our level of skill and experience.
That's the reality of diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound! Ultrasound allows us to look under the skin and see damage to tendons, muscles, ligaments and nerves - right there in the exam room! And unlike x-rays, MRIs and CT scans, with ultrasound we can watch happens during movement, because sometimes you can only see a problem during motion.
At Valley Sports Physicians we're experts in diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSK US). In fact, we teach other physicians around the country how to do ultrasound!
Ultrasound doesn't replace x-rays or MRIs. Each type of test serves a special role. For example, x-rays are best at looking at bones. MRIs are great for looking inside joints at cartilage. Ultrasound excels at looking at the soft tissues outside the joint, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves.
The challenge with ultrasound is that it takes a long time to get good at it! Many physicians take one or two weekend courses to learn MSK US. But to really excel at it takes years of training and practice. At Valley Sports Physicians we've been doing MSK US since 2008, and teaching it since 2009. Few practices in the country have our level of skill and experience.