Conditions Where Ultrasound Therapy Should Not Be Used

Ultrasound therapy has a few known dangers and should not be used to treat certain conditions or certain parts of the body. If you have cancer, for example, if you're pregnant, or if the injured part of your body contains a total joint replacement, the treatment may do more harm than good.

If you are receiving ultrasound therapy, you should speak with your physical therapist to understand why it is being used and be sure to speak up if you feel that it should not be used for your condition.

This article looks at ultrasound therapy, some of its dangers, and some of the conditions and body parts it should not be used to treat.

When Ultrasound Should Not Be Used

Ultrasound therapy is a common physical therapy treatment that is thought to speed healing by providing heat to injured tissues. It's different than the diagnostic ultrasounds that are used to provide images of organs, tissues, or a fetus during pregnancy.

The heat from ultrasound therapy is said to help decrease pain, improve cellular healing, and improve how stretchy your injured body part is. The goal is to help increase range of motion and flexibility.

Ultrasound therapy should not, however, be used in certain situations or on particular parts of the body. These include:

• Cancer: Since ultrasound may increase cellular activity, it should not be used over cancerous areas of the body as this is thought to increase chances of metastasis.
• In children: Ultrasound over the bone that has not fully developed may cause fractures or other problems with the part of the bones that are responsible for growth.
• During pregnancy: The effect of therapeutic ultrasound on a developing human fetus has not been fully explored and therefore should be avoided during pregnancy.
• Near the eyes: Damage to the retina or lens may result if ultrasound is used near the eyes.
• Areas around the heart: It is suggested that ultrasound may alter the electrical signals around your heart. If you have a pacemaker, ultrasound may interfere with its normal function.
• Over reproductive organs: The effect of ultrasound used over reproductive organs like the testes or ovaries is not fully explored and therefore should be avoided.
• In areas with decreased temperature sensation: If your injury prevents you from feeling normal hot and cold temperatures, ultrasound should not be used since you would not be able to report any discomfort or burning sensations to your physical therapist.
• Over body parts with total joint replacements: Many total joint replacements use special cement to hold the new joint in place. Ultrasound may rapidly heat this cement and damage surrounding body parts.
• In people with vascular problems: If you have problems with circulation, ultrasound may not be a good choice for you. This is because it is felt that decreased circulation limits your body’s ability to help manage the increased heat that occurs with ultrasound.

This list of situations where ultrasound should not be used should not be considered complete or absolute. If your physical therapist decides to use ultrasound in the treatment of your condition, be sure to bring up any concerns you may have.

There is also some some debate in physical therapy about whether ultrasound really works to help improve healing. If you receive ultrasound as a treatment from your physical therapist, you should understand that some studies indicate that ultrasound does not improve outcomes for various conditions.

Summary

Ultrasound is commonly used in physical therapy to help provide pain relief and speed up healing. There are certain situations where it should not be used, however.

For example, it may contribute to metastasis in people with cancer, and it may disrupt the electrical signals around the heart. It should not be used on pregnant people or children. There is also some debate about whether or not ultrasound therapy actually helps improve healing.

A Word From Verywell

A positive physical therapy experience usually involves active patient involvement, and ultrasound should not be the only treatment you receive in physical therapy. Your physical therapist should teach you about your specific condition and ensure that you have a strategy to help improve your condition independently.