Therapy; General Guidelines For Ultrasound Therapy - gbo Medizintechnik Sonostat User Manual

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Sonostat

4 Therapy

The duration of treatment depends not only on the size of the body area being treated

and the size of the treatment probe used, but also on the relative stage of the disease.

Treatment with ultrasound lasting 5 minutes is usually sufficient for an average-size

zone. With disorders accompanied by changes in the tissue structure, such as

sclerodermatitis, arthrosis, etc., it is frequently advantageous to lengthen the exposure

to about 10 minutes per field. Treatment zones extending over some length, such as

courses of nerves, are divided up into several fields, which are exposed to ultrasound

one after another for 5 (or 10) minutes.

The golden rule is: the more acute the process, the lower the intensity to be used, and

the more chronic the process, the greater the intensity to be used. Take care with the

dosage when beginning treatment. This is particularly advisable when treating the

trunk of the body with ultrasound: don't forget that there may be sensitive organs

close by (see chapter 7 Contraindications). The upper limit of the permissible

intensity is generally signaled by the occurrence of periosteal pain, provided the

patient does not exhibit any sensory disturbance. Treatment can be regarded as

therapeutically appropriate when the intensity is such that a just detectable feeling of

warmth is produced in the normally sensitive patient. Underdosage runs the risk of

being ineffectual, and thus a waste of time.

The number of treatments required (carried out daily or each second day, depending

on the circumstances) depends on how successful the treatments are. Usually only

one or two further treatments are necessary after the symptoms subside. A total of 10

to 15 treatments generally suffices. Where improvement is only slow, continue

therapy until a satisfactory result obtained. Even where there is an apparent

worsening, we do not recommend giving up treatment before third or fourth sitting. If

deterioration continues, it is advisable to check the diagnosis (e.g. slipped disk with

sciatica, foci). It is frequently the case that structure-changing processes can be

favorably influenced by an extended therapy of up to 40 treatment sessions.

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