Subacromial impingement / bursitis
Ultrasound can dynamically assess the structures underneath the shoulder joint When the bursa becomes enalrged or swollen it can cause impingement and pain with shoulder movements. It can be especially painful when performing activties at shoulder or head height.
Calcific Tendonitiss
Calicum deposits in the tendons can lead to pain and restriction of movement. The appearance of the calcifications on ultrasound can predict their symptoms and guide the use of injection therapy
Rotator cuff tears.
Tears can be seen with ultrasound and they can be catergorised by their location, size and the health of the surrounding tissue to decide whether surgical or conservative managemnet is required.
Partial rotator cuff tears.
Partial tears can also been identified , although the accuracy is lower than for complete tears. Idenifying partical tears is helpful in planning your rehabilitation and pain management.
Long Head of Biceps
Shoulder pain that refers to the from of th shoulder may be caused by the Biceps tendon. Biceps pathology can be seen, such as fluid and inflammation of the sheath, subluxing or dislocated biceps, biceps tears and osteophytes in the biceps groove.
Acromioclavicular Joint pathology
can be easily seen on the upper surface which is superficial. Osteophytes of arthritis can be easily seen. Swelling of the joint and capsular thickening can be seen, both signs of inflammation. Osteolysis of the lateral clavicle can be diagnosed.
Hill-Sachs Lesions
in cases of shoulder instability, I prefer to measure the defect in the posterior humeral head (Hill-Sachs lesion) using ultrasound. This is more accurate than x-rays and can be done at the clinic visit.
Elbow, Forearm, Wrist & Hand
A detailed scan of the elbow joint and small joints of the wrist and hand. Including associated ligaments, tendons, musculature / soft tissues.
The Anterior Medial Elbow
Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is the primary dynamic stabilizer during extension of the elbow, a motion commonly performed in throwing sports “UCL injury will commonly present with complaints of vague medial elbow pain with reduced velocity. Ultrasound can specifically assess both the integrity of the UCL and widening of the medial joint space
Ulnar nerve entrapment/cubital tunnel syndrome
Elbow pain coupled with numbness of the 4th and 5th digits is characteristic of cubital tunnel syndrome or ulnar nerve entrapment. Movemnet of the ulnar nerve can produce nerve symptoms along with a painful snap. This is often seen in the throwing elbow. This can be seen dynamically on ultrasound.
Medial epicondylitis (Golfer's Elbow)
A common syndrome encountered in sports medicine and is pain, with or without tears, of the tendon attachment at the origin of the common flexor tendons of the forearm termed the medial epicondylitis.