Current research discusses the practicability of an ultrasound therapy in the treatment of low-back pain and knee osteoarthritis issues. It deals with the need to minimize side effect risks of a therapy course and help sufferers by all possible means. Throughout the research, the author stresses that safety measures are the key concept when dealing with patients who are subject to an ultrasound treatment course.
The study applies to a number of qualitative and quantitative studies to demonstrate that the research findings are credible and derived using proper data collection tools. All in all, the author concludes that the clinical use of ultrasound equipment positively influences the state of patients’ health and boasts an accepted level of safety.
Regarding the problem of chronic non-specific low-back pain (LBP), it is one of the most commonly met musculoskeletal disorders throughout developed countries. When it comes to treating this disorder, therapeutic ultrasound is frequently referred to by clinicians for disease recurrence to be stopped. However, despite the proven effectiveness of ultrasound intervention, many physiotherapists still continue to question its usefulness and criticize everyone who advocates for further method’s implementation.
They stress that ultrasound may have an adverse effect on people with LBP since it transmits thermal energy. In the meantime, their opponents highlight that the beneficial aspects of the treatment course outweigh the risks related to the use of ultrasound equipment. The procedure causes soft tissue molecules vibrate from the interference of acoustic wave, which creates a molecular-based increase in temperature and excludes the presence of the outer heat. By engaging in such an activity, molecules increase nerve conduction velocity and stimulate a faster recovery process.
Future Research
Eventually, none of the two sides of debate shows the desire to accept proposed arguments, trying to refute those by a variety of counterarguments. Therefore, future research in the area is required to concentrate on the differential effects of various interventions into the treatment of NSCLBP patients. The author states that future investigation of the issue should be based on the measurement of electromyography parameters, such as normalized median frequency and mean frequency. Moreover, future research should critically focus on the shortcomings of the other studies and assess the outcomes in patients with chronic LBP considering the dose response.
Risk Assessment
The author identifies ultrasound intervention as a minimal risk procedure, which can be recommended for general use in medical practice. Nevertheless, the group of patients that has been reviewed in the study can be regarded as vulnerable since their disorders are often accompanied by a variety of complications. As a matter of fact, patients suffering from such diseases as knee osteoarthritis and chronic low-back pain are subject to falling more than others, for their vestibular apparatus is less stable compared to those who have no disorders of this kind.
Falls caused by musculoskeletal problems carry a huge danger to people having brittle bones, as they might lead to serious fractures. In addition, a sudden pain in the back could create a hazardous situation during crossing the street: a person might turn motionless for a moment and be run over by a car. Predicting all possible situations is impossible due to a wide number of possibilities. Nonetheless, the mentioned facts prove that sufferers from LBP refer to the category of vulnerable patients.