Musculoskeletal Ultrasound
Ultrasound images of the musculoskeletal system provide pictures of muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and soft tissue throughout the body. This type of scanning is typically used to assist in the diagnosis of tendon tears, such as tears of the rotator cuff in the shoulder or Achilles tendon in the ankle, abnormalities of the muscles, such as tears and soft-tissue masses, bleeding or other fluid collections within the muscles or damage to the major joints. It can also be used as a guide for steroid injections into joints and surrounding soft tissues as an effective treatment for painful joints. No special preparation is required for these types of scan.
At the examination you will need to remove all clothing and jewelry in the area to be examined and may be asked to wear a gown during the procedure. Usually you will lie on your back on an examination couch, but for specialised areas you may be in different positions. The transducer will be moved back and forth across the relevant part of your body on order to image the area of interest. You may also be asked to move joints or limbs during the scanning so that the sonographer can look at the affected area while it is in motion.