Diagnostic Ultrasound & Ultrasound Guided Dry Needling

Diagnostic Ultrasound

Diagnostic musculoskeletal Ultrasound is used to evaluate soft tissues (muscle, tendon, ligament, etc.), detect fluid collection, and can also be used to visualize other structures such as cartilage and bony surfaces. Ultrasound wave frequencies, however, cannot penetrate into bone. The “real time” capability of ultrasound allows for dynamic evaluation of joint and tendons, which can be a valuable assessment tool for certain musculoskeletal conditions. Hampton PT has found this tool to be very beneficial in the assessment of the rotator cuff of the shoulder.

Ultrasound Guided Dry Needling

Rye Phyisical Therapy is excited to be utilizing an Ultrasound device for Dry Needling. The effects of Dry Needling have been wonderful for patients over the years. We are now excited to have the ability to make sure our needling placements are even more accurate. Interventional US involves using gray-scale brightness-mode (b-mode) US to accurately, efficiently and safely guide needles for dry needling. US-guided needling have been shown to be more accurate and efficacious than landmark-guided needling. The US allows for better examining of the effects of injury, lesion or disease on joint surfaces, muscle, tendon, ligament, bursa, vessels, nerves. This new tool will now allow us to better identify tendon abnormalities, to screen for tendinopathy risk, and assess humeral torsion or acromiohumeral distance in persons with rotator cuff pathology, or ligament integrity after injury to inform rehabilitation. *select locations currently have US device. This is new and progressing!