Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group home ultrasound machine, i think it works!

home ultrasound machine. i think it works. not sure if as good as the one in the PT office, but can use more often this way, so may balance out.

felt the same feeling that i feel when they use it in PT, just not as intense. (my body only feels the ultrasound if going over a triggerpoint or inflamed tendon / enthesis).

anyway, time will tell if its worth having, but my initial thought is yeh, maybe.

if you find ultrasound at PT useful and think you might want one for home use, i'll give more info here, just let me know. i did a lot of research, asked PT lots of questions first, before i bought mine.

Hi Sue,

Thanks for sharing this. I just had my first ultrasound at the PT's office yesterday and WHEW I think it really helped at least for a little while. I transferred my PT office from 50miles away as winter here in MT can be rather difficult. I am glad I did! Her techique is very different and I will be able to take from both places and use on my own.

I am looking into the electonic devices, not sure if they would be considered ultrasound tho. I had an experience with someones machine and it did help in the affected areas, so I will continue to research.

Please keep us informed of your success with it-ok! LOL

Hi Sue / Mamallama - First used ultrasound in my very first flare, some 19yrs ago. SIs threw me for a burton. Was horrible. Was crawling every morning. Had a **fantastic PT (Guys Hosp circuit and Royal Ballet). Zena was terrif. She worked on me for three months, got me through the whole flare episode and kept me good for many years. Yes, she used ultrasound AND heat therapy/diathermay. Worked a treat.

Sue. More info on the 'home' use ultrasound model. Where to purchase and prices - or website link. Have bookmarked that other m/c you were referring to. Would be interesting to compare the two - weigh up pros and cons etc.

Thanks.

Would love more info the US machine. What about home iontopheresis?

They both work well on me.

got mine from mendmeshop:

http://shop.mendmeshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=32

they are in canada somewhere, but look like they ship all over the world.

i bought this one because:

the tech support over the phone seemed knowledgeable

60 day money back guarantee

1 MHz (which is what the PT uses, goes deep into tissue, compared to the 3 MHz which is more superficial)

3 power settings (low, medium, high, but all 3 pretty low: .1-.3 W/cm2, .3-.5 W/cm2, .5-.8 W/cm2, my PT uses .6 W/cm2 for everything, and the fact that this machine does same power made it win over a similar machine that did around 2.4 W/cm2)

the only negative is that it is pulsed (which makes it safer to not burn tissue) instead of the continuous that the PT uses (but you'd have to be careful and know what you were doing to use). i want to be as close to what PT is doing as possible, but i think the pulsed will be ok after using it today, just not quite as powerful this way, but being able to do it everyday will help make up the difference.

it was $250 (U.S.) which is more expensive than some really cheap machines under $100 so figured its probably a little better made.

mommallama, molly, jewelz, and anyone else interested,

the home ultrasound machine definitely seems to be worth the investment.

hubby is using it on my upper back trigger points and it does seem to help. i was sitting here a little too long today, got up, but the neck was spasming pretty good, and the trigger points hurting. so hubby ultrasounded me, and it really calmed it down. they say we can do the same areas up to 3 times a day, but are playing it safe and just treating each spot once a day for 5 minutes each.

when he does it, it feels the same way as when PT does it, but i think the real proof is it let me sit again for awhile.

for anyone who has found ultrasound to be useful on either triggerpoints and myofascial pain, or on tendon or ligament inflammation, i highly recommend this home unit. i haven't tried it yet on any of my tendons, but when i do, i'll let you know how it worked on that.

i'm always very skeptical about things working, as so few things do, but have been pleasantly surprised by this one.

still have a ways to go, but do feel like the ultrasound and IF stim are speeding up my recovery.

Hi Sue,

Good to hear the Ultrasound works. Do you have Plantar fasciitis? If so, have you tried US on that. I have it in a bad way and can't find anything that will ease the pain.

Dean

hi dean,

the PT has been doing ultrasound on my Plantar Fasciitis these last 2 weeks and it does work well. i haven't tried my home US machine on it yet as it is mostly settled down now. and it was so bad i could barely put any weight on where it inserts near the little toe. then this week it hurt more where it inserts on the inner most side of the heel. so she ultrasounded the entire band across those two insertion points.

the other things that have helped in the past:

contrast baths (1-2 minutes hot water, then 1-2 mintues cold water, back and forth for about 20 minutes, several times a day) is often a huge relief.

and for me its important to walk a little every day to keep it from getting too bad. not exercising my feet makes it worse. and no standing! got to be moving if on my feet.

some find relief from the night splints, i didn't.

i think possi said they are using the cold laser on her feet. can't remember if they are also doing ultrasound, but i remember her saying she's finding relief.

try a session or two of ultrasound at the PTs and see what you think.

PS just wanted to add. out of all of those things, for me, the ultrasound will help when the other things fail. sometimes in one session, often it takes a few sessions, but with each session, i see some improvement.

Thanks Sue,

It never occured to me to go to PT. Doh!! Do you suppose the AS is going to my head? or is this just normal for me? I think I'll check with my Dr. We have this EMail thing that I can communicate with my Dr. and get referals without actually going in and paying for a visit. I'm going to email him tomorrow and find out what he thinks. Thanks again. You are, as usual, a great help.

Dean

you're welcome dean,

let us know how it goes.

though PT certainly won't "cure" anything, i have found it helpful to get by.

i also have a podiatrist, she has given me a lot of useful tips, some of what i just passed on. if the feet continue to be a problem, a good podiatrist is so worthwhile.