Advances in ultrasound technologies for musculoskeletal imaging have made point-of-care ultrasound systems a common sight in sport and exercise medicine (SEM) practices across the UK, and this rise in popularity has led the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (an intercollegiate faculty of the Royal College of Physicians of London and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh) to issue new guidelines for ultrasound use.
Dr Jane Dunbar, a fellow of the Faculty and one of the few doctors recognised by the GMC as a specialist in SEM, shared her experiences of ultrasound: “I have been using ultrasound as part of my day-to-day practice for over 10 years, starting with SonoSite’s original 180PLUS hand-carried system. The change in image quality over that time has been huge, and the latest instruments – such as SonoSite’s EDGE® – offer excellent diagnostic capabilities and provide a powerful tool to help patients understand the nature of their injuries, whether they’re elite athletes, children with growth pains or older patients suffering with arthritis.”
“One of the biggest advantages of ultrasound for SEM is that it’s dynamic, allowing you to see what is happening in a moving joint in real time, often helping to diagnose small, insidious problems that might be missed by a static X-ray. A lot of my referrals are physiotherapy patients who are not responding as expected to treatment, and a quick scan is often enough to diagnose if there is a bigger issue, or to provide guidance on how to improve the rate of recovery. I also use it to guide joint injections, allowing me to precisely locate the needle in an area which will provide maximum benefit without causing discomfort, which is particularly useful for osteoarthritic joints. I wouldn’t be without an ultrasound system in my clinic now, it’s like an extra hand in my examinations.”
About FUJIFILM SonoSite
SonoSite helped pioneer the concept of portable, point-of-care ultrasound, and it continues to be a world-leading manufacturer and innovator of bedside ultrasound systems as well as an industry leader in ultra-high frequency micro-ultrasound technology. Headquartered near Seattle, the company is represented by 26 subsidiaries and a global distribution network in over 100 countries. SonoSite’s portable, compact systems are expanding the use of ultrasound across the clinical spectrum by cost-effectively bringing high-performance ultrasound to the point of patient care. For more information, go to: www.sonosite.com
FUJIFILM SonoSite, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc. oversees a direct sales distribution network in the UK and provides sales and marketing support. FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries, including electronic imaging, digital printing equipment, medical systems, life sciences, graphic arts, flat panel display materials, and office products, based on a vast portfolio of digital, optical, fine chemical and thin film coating technologies. Fujifilm is committed to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit www.fujifilmholdings.com
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