Ultrasound can be utilized two manners in the healthcare setting:
Therapeutic
Therapeutic ultrasound refers to a treatment device that uses ultrasonic waves (sound waves at a frequency too high to hear) to achieve a desired function. Most of the time, that desired function is either to break up adhesions (stuck-together tissue, a.k.a. "knots") or to create heat to warm up a specific and very localized area. We already have this type in both AT clinics at the high school, but it is used infrequently as new data and evidence suggest only minimal beneficial effects with its use.
Diagnostic
Diagnostic ultrasound uses the same concept of employing high frequency sound waves, but for this purpose, the goal is not merely to send sound waves into a tissue, but to receive them back to create an image. By understanding the acoustic properties of different tissue types and applying our knowledge of anatomy and physiology, we can see an image and determine if there are any structural abnormalities to justify the symptoms with which a patient presents. This tool is excellent in that it can be used at what's called "point-of-care," meaning our athletic trainers can use diagnostic ultrasound at the time of injury and at the site of injury. So when an athlete suffers an injury, we are able to immediately see what's happening beneath the skin to determine the severity of the injury. In so doing, we can feel more confident in our determinations to either return the athlete to participation or to withhold the athlete from further participation due to confirmed injury.
It is this second type of ultrasound that we will utilize in our clinic now that our AMAZING booster club has purchased a device for us.
(THANK YOU, LHATBC!!!)
As athletic trainers, we operate under standing orders from our team physician, Dr. Jeffrey Hubert. Our standing orders permit us to utilize diagnostic ultrasound when we deem it necessary. Unlike every other imaging option, diagnostic ultrasound is 100% safe for all patients: it disperses no radiation (like CT, X-ray, and fluoroscopy), carries no contraindications like wearing metal or having foreign implants of any kind (like MRI/CT), and has no financial cost to the patient when performed here at the school by an athletic trainer.
All images, at the patient's parent's/guardian's request, may be shared with Dr. Hubert for review (after removing all identifying information from the image) to get his impression of the imagery and to confirm or deny our assessment. There is no cost to the patient for this consultation. All images will be saved to the student-athlete's profile in Rank One under their specific injury. If further medical evaluation is sought, you will have the ability to share the ultrasound imaging with the treating clinician for their use at your discretion.
The image will be treated like every other document attached to the student's file in that it will remain locked behind a HIPAA- & FERPA-compliant server, only accessible by athletic trainers currently employed by Liberty Hill ISD.