Ultrasound and Physical Therapy

If you’ve been injured and gone for treatment, chances are you have seen or heard of ultrasound. It looks like a wand with jelly placed on the end and is then rubbed over the area that hurts. If you ask your provider what this intervention does, you’ll likely hear a variety of answers, many of which do not hold up under research. 

There is an abundance of research showing that ultrasound isn’t the magic cure it’s believed to be. It’s been described as deep heating and bringing blood flow to an area to promote healing. But, there has been research for quite some time that doesn’t show any healing benefits compared to not doing any intervention. With all this research, why do doctors continue to recommend their patients get it? Why do healthcare professionals still provide it? Why do medical doctors still ask physical therapists to perform ultrasound on their patients? 

Part of the reason could be because that’s how they have always practiced and haven’t adapted. Maybe they don’t know the research, or maybe they aren’t sure what else to do. While it may feel comforting at the time of the intervention, having ultrasound isn’t the best use of your time during an appointment with a medical provider. If pain responses are calmed temporarily, it’s most likely due to a placebo effect. While the placebo effect is a powerful thing, it isn’t addressing the cause of the pain. We want to tackle why the pain began and work on making sure it doesn’t return. 

Medical doctors or physical therapists who insist on ultrasound are a significant part of the problem. They create the narrative that the patient is dependent on the ultrasound. This is not the mindset we want to have when getting over an injury. We don’t want to be dependent on anyone or anything. The goal should be for the patient to play an active role in their own recovery. When recovering you should be learning so that you can help yourself in the future and so that you can improve your self efficacy.