Ultrasound is very good at assessing all the tendons around the ankle as they are easily accessible and amenable to ultrasound examination. This speeds up the clinical decision-making process, particularly when managing conditions affecting the achilles tendon. Ligaments of the lateral ankle can be assessed statically and dynamically.
Ultrasound is excellent for assessing the structures around the wrist and hand, particularly when swelling is evident. This could originate from the joint, as in a synovitis, ganglion cyst, or tendon sheath. Diagnosing wrist and hand pain can be challenging, so ultrasound is used to easily differentiate between degenerative or inflammatory conditions affecting joints, tendons, or nerves.
Tennis elbow is occasionally resistant to conservative treatment. As such, patients and therapists can sometimes doubt diagnosis. Ultrasound helps the patient and clinician confirm or refute the diagnosis, thus altering treatment.
Ultrasound is a fast, cost-effective imaging choice for the shoulder. It can be used to image all the major structures to provide clinicians with quick answers to most conditions that commonly affect this region. Ultrasound is helpful when differentiating between multiple structures, which could cause the patient’s symptoms, particularly when integrated with clinical examination.
