Ultrasonography in physiotherapy and rehabilitation

Abstract

There is an interrelation with ultrasound / physiotherapist and the duty of the physiotherapist to know how to perform ultrasound  examinations alone, not for diagnostic purposes, to follow the evolution of the therapeutic cycle of physiotherapy. For this reason,  ultrasound image analysis (US) is a promising non-invasive approach that uses load-dependent changes in the intensity of the echo to  characterize the rigidity of muscle and tendon tissue. The purpose of this contribution is to improve the use of ultrasound images (US)  and the role of the physiotherapist, who are able to detect localized changes, in particular in stiffness of the tendon due to partial and  full-thickness tendon tears. Image intensity information is less sensitive for identifying load transmission variations resulting from partial thickness cuts initiated on the joint side. Ultrasound images can be useful for quantitatively assessing the variations dependent on the tendon load and muscle stiffness in physiotherapy and that the interruption of the behavior of the acousto-elastic ultrasound  images can be indicative of substantial damage to the muscle or tendon.