 |
 |
| Real-time
Ultrasound
(Only at Templestowe Physiotherapy Clinic)
|
| |
Low back problems, sporting
injuries or after pregnancy, some people have a poor
ability to control the deep stabilising muscles of the
lower abdomen, lumbar spine, and pelvic floor. These
muscles can be very difficult to feel and to contract.
In order to reduce pain and weakness, these muscles
need to be re-trained to work correctly.
Watch your muscles work!
Real-time ultrasound scanning technology displays an
image of these muscles on a screen so they can be observed
whilst they are working. This provides a powerful and
effective mechanism to assist in restoring and strengthening
these muscles.
The deep muscles of the abdomen (transversus abdominis)
the low back (multifidus) and the pelvic floor must
be working correctly in order to improve the body’s
“core stability”. These muscles all attach
either directly or indirectly to the spine. Extensive
research has found that improving the function of these
stabilising muscles assists in the recovery from and
the prevention of low back pain. If these muscles are
working correctly, sporting performance can also be
enhanced and injuries prevented.
At Templestowe Physiotherapy, we use the most up to
date equipment in order to accurately test delete:
muscle function of delete: and to retrain these muscles
and to retrain them.
As the stabilising muscles are quite deep inside the
body, they are difficult to feel, so the only way to
really assess how well they are working is by the use
of the real-time ultrasound scanning equipment.
The real-time ultrasound scanner involves high frequency
sound waves passing through the body being reflected
to create an image of the internal structures. This
allows both the patient and therapist to observe the
muscles contracting on a monitor as it happens!
The size of different muscles, the ability of the patient
to isolate the correct muscle contraction, the timing
and endurance of the contraction, and the quality of
movement can all be seen and recorded by the therapist.
This information gives an indication of the current
status of an individual’s core stability and
the areas that need to be worked on to improve function.
An exercise program can then be tailored to suit the
needs of the individual. The real-time ultrasound is
then used to re-assess the patient to determine the
amount of improvement as they participate in appropriate
stabilising exercises.
Clinical Pilates
also develops these stabilising muscles.
|
|
|
 |
