What to Expect During Your Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

If you’ve been told you need a musculoskeletal ultrasound, it’s best to get familiar with the term, the process, and what your physician is trying to learn from it. An ultrasound is traditionally associated with pregnancy, but it has many practical applications beyond this. 

There’s no denying that musculoskeletal ultrasound is a bit of a tongue twister, but how does it work? This imaging modality uses soundwaves to form pictures so your doctor can clearly see your muscles, ligaments, and joints. 

Because of these capabilities, it can be used to investigate and diagnose many types of sports injuries — from tendinitis and sprains to general joint pain — as well as medical conditions like a spine alignment problem or rheumatoid arthritis. 

Dr. Moisés Irizarry-Román uses musculoskeletal ultrasounds frequently to detect injuries, as well as for diagnostic purposes. The entire No Mercy Sports Medicine team employs a toolbox full of tests and individualized care strategies so that your treatment is far from one-size-fits-all and geared to you.

Don’t worry if you need a musculoskeletal ultrasound

This test is very patient-friendly in that it:

• Is noninvasive
• Involves no radiation exposure
• Is painless
• Allows movement (unlike an MRI, for example)
• Produces sharp images
• Is considerably less costly than an MRI

Another significant plus that makes musculoskeletal ultrasound advantageous is that it’s a flexible modality. 

Dr. Irizarry-Román can use this test either for diagnosing your problem or for treating it. For example, if you need an injection to relieve pain, the musculoskeletal ultrasound process guides him to exactly the right spot to administer the injection for maximum efficacy.

What can I expect if I need a musculoskeletal ultrasound?

Depending on what area of your body Dr. Irizarry-Román is studying, you may need to change into a hospital gown for the procedure. Next, he applies a bit of clear gel on the area he’s examining so the ultrasound tool, called a transducer, can glide easily across your skin.

In a matter of minutes, Dr. Irizarry-Román can look closely at your soft tissue, joints, and bones, and even enlist your help by asking you to move and adjust your position so he can investigate the source of your discomfort further. From there, he creates your customized treatment plan.

Musculoskeletal ultrasound is a solution that leads to relief

Your pain matters, whether you’ve sustained an injury from repetitive movement at work or from an overly vigorous spontaneous soccer game. A musculoskeletal ultrasound is a quick, painless, in-office answer to finding the source of your pain and treating it effectively.

An avid athlete himself, Dr. Irizarry-Román has dealt with his own injuries and knows what it’s like to be in your shoes. Call our Miami or Fort Lauderdale office to schedule an appointment or book one online to find out whether a musculoskeletal ultrasound should be incorporated into your care.