I've heard it's possible to use ultrasound to heal bone fractures. How does this work?
The exact way ultrasound helps speed up bone healing isn't clear yet. It could be improved blood flow or the way bone responds to mechanical stimulation. Maybe ultrasound changes the genes and the body responds with faster healing, or maybe the tissue starts remodeling faster. No one knows for sure.
Studies have been done on patients with fresh bone injuries using pulsed, low-intensity, ultrasound. A tiny, battery-operated ultrasonic healing device can be placed on the skin over a fracture. Low-intensity ultrasound is pulsed directly to the fracture site. Daily twenty-minute home therapy continues until the fracture is healed.
Many fractures occur in older adults who could benefit from this treatment. However, Medicare and private insurance companies won't approve the use of this treatment. More studies are needed to prove it works and show how it works.
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