Osteoarthritis is a chronic, progressive condition. Once the cartilage has worn away from your joints, leading to arthritis, that cartilage cannot be regained. However, there are plenty of steps you can take to keep the condition from getting worse, and also to manage the soft tissue inflammation that's often a consequence of arthritis. One such step is to use ultrasound therapy. This therapy involves the application of penetrating sound waves to the arthritic joints. So, why is ultrasound therapy a good choice for arthritis management?
Ultrasound therapy is non-invasive.
A lot of arthritis treatments, such as cortisone injections and surgery, are at least minimally invasive. Ultrasound therapy is not. There are absolutely zero cuts or incisions made. Your doctor does not even need to give you an injection. The ultrasound waves are simply applied to the outside of the body via a special wand. You probably won't feel a thing while the ultrasound machine is working, and if you do feel something, it will likely just be a warm, soothing sensation. The fact that ultrasound therapy is entirely noninvasive also means you don't have to worry about post-treatment infection.
Ultrasound therapy does not cause any side effects.
Some patients do find the treatment more effective than others. You might get profound arthritis relief from ultrasound therapy, whereas a friend may only get a little relief. But nobody who has ultrasound therapy performed on their joints will deal with any unwanted side effects. The therapy only uses sound waves, which are incapable of causing any damage to your joints and soft tissues.
Ultrasound therapy fights arthritis pain in several ways.
This is not a one-sided therapy that only addresses arthritis pain in one way. Rather, it works in a few different ways to ease your symptoms. First, the therapy tends to increase blood flow to your joints. This encourages the inflammation to dissipate, which makes it easier to bend the affected joints. Second, the therapy stimulates the cartilage in your joints, which helps keep this cartilage healthy and alive. The cartilage is thereby less likely to break down, which keeps your arthritis from getting worse. Third, the sound waves help prevent muscle spasms in the muscles surrounding the joints. Often, spasms make arthritis pain worse, so reducing them leads to a reduction in pain.
If you're looking for a non-invasive, multifaceted, side-effect-free way to manage your arthritis, ultrasound therapy is a good choice. Talk to your doctor to learn more.
For more information on an ultrasound device for arthritis, contact a professional near you.
Share