NYC Ultrasound Therapy Pain Management Doctors

Ultrasound Therapy for pain management is offered by the doctors of Manhattan Pain and Sports Associates. You probably think of ultrasound as the way to see an unborn baby, and it’s true that it can be used that way. But ultrasound — basically, focused sound waves — can be used to stimulate deep tissue healing, too. According to the National Institutes of Health, ultrasound therapy has applications for treating bursitis, increasing blood flow and encouraging healing.

Handheld ultrasound devices in use today can concentrate sound wave energy up to a half-inch below the surface of your skin. Some devices use a shockwave effect (called Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy or ESWT), instead of a warming energy, and such therapy can be used to treat plantar fasciitis. In the hands of an experienced NYC pain management specialist, ultrasound therapy can help treat your symptoms and heal your body.

Risks and Rewards

While ESWT is a useful treatment tool, you can’t expect miracles. When used for therapeutic purposes, risks are minimal due to the low-level of energy these devices put out. Most therapeutic ultrasound falls into the 0.8–3.0 MHz range.

Ultrasound therapy is a non-invasive technique used to treat a number of conditions, such as:

  • Lumbar (low back) pain
  • Tendonitis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Muscle spasms
  • Breaking up scar tissue beneath the skin’s surface
  • Reducing swelling through improved blood flow
  • Finding minor fractures

How Ultrasound Therapy Works

Long used by physical therapists, ultrasound therapy is applied through a handheld wand attached to an electric machine. The wand generates and delivers the sound waves where the therapist aims the wand. A gel or ointment is usually smeared onto your bare skin where you’re having the treatment. The wand glides across your skin, sending heat and energy into your deeper tissues.

Your pain management specialist can intensify or lessen the energy the wand puts out, but it usually remains on the low end of the spectrum. Ultrasound therapy is supposed to be a mild treatment to reduce pain and encourage healing.

Also known as a vibrational healing technique, ultrasound is suited as a specific pain relief treatment, especially in the lower back area. Ultrasound energy waves can disrupt soft tissue, as in the case of breaking up scar tissue to allow you a greater range of motion. They also can warm and soften tissue to reduce swelling and increase blood flow to a particular area or muscle.

Your Pain Management Doctor Recommends

At Manhattan Pain and Sports Associates therapeutic ultrasound treatments represent a first line of non-invasive treatment options. It’s painless, efficient and easily administered. An ultrasound therapy session takes just three to five minutes, after which you should feel immediate results.

If it delivers pain relief for you, then you can repeat it at each office visit. If it doesn’t work for you, then your pain management doctor can try the next level of pain relief treatment options. For pain that’s not too severe, this is a perfect way to start the journey toward being pain-free.

Manhattan Pain and Sports Associates
51 East 25th St, 4th Floor, Ste B
New York, NY 10010
(212) 533-3954