Background Information
Therapeutic ultrasound is a modality commonly used in the
rehabilitation of injuries. The ultrasound machine comes in various forms, but
all deliver high frequency sound waves (via the reverse of the piezo effect)
through the metal transducer sound head. These waves penetrate the skin and stimulate soft tissue in the body
to create a type of healing environment. There are several settings, each eliciting
a different physiological response. Before entering the body the sound waves must
travel through an aqueous medium which is essentially in the form of a
water-based gel. The waves may also travel directly through water and when this
is done the waves actually appear “visible” through the ripples in the water.
Observation
My observation is from the perspective of administering the
treatment on a patient.
Sight: I notice
the machine itself, how the face has a backlight and how clearly the settings
and “time left remaining in treatment” are displayed. I notice the light blue,
transparent gel against the skin of the patient and the thick lines being
traced in it over the area being treated by the sound head. I also notice the
gel building up around the sound head as it is being glided through the gel. I
also notice the colors of the machine which are light grey with navy blue trim
and buttons with a light blue backlight on the display screen.
Touch: The
buttons on the face of the machine are cool to the touch. They are slightly softer
than the rest of the plastic on the machine almost as if they are made of
silicone. The gel and sound head are both warm upon picking them up to
negotiate set-up of the treatment. The
handle is shaped to ergonomically fit a hand and brings a comfortable weight
with it. It’s constructed from plastic, which feels cold but soon warms from
the heat of my hand. I also notice the front of my shoulder becoming fatigued
from the continued circular motion that needs to take place for proper
application of the treatment. I can also feel the sound head gliding through
the ultrasound gel with very little resistance. I can feel the patient’s tissue
rebounding from pressure being applied through the sound head.
Hearing: I hear
the beeping of the buttons as I push them to set up the treatment. The “last ounce
of ketchup left in the squeeze-bottle” squirting sound the gel makes as it
exits the cap. The machine itself makes a soft hum from all the processes being
run within it. The sound waves at a frequency that is inaudible to the human
ear so I cannot actually hear them. I hear the chatter within the clinic of
various conversations taking place in addition to the beeping of machines that
have turned off after finishing treatment.
Smell: The gel
has no smell. The only smells entering my olfactory bulbs are the perfume of my
patient (which is sweet but has warm vanilla undertones) and the clean and
sterilized smell of the clinic.
Taste: Not
applicable : )
Re-Imagine and Re-Present of Therapeutic Ultrasound
Since I am not able to fully appreciate the use of my smell
and tasting senses with this particular modality (or visual of what the sound
waves are actually accomplishing in the body!) I imagine using it in a slightly
different way. Imagine a thick ribeye steak, so fresh it’s still purple. If set
on the correct settings, ultrasound can have a thermal effect on soft tissue. Set the machine up, squirt the gel on the
steak then apply the sound head and start treatment. I imagine the smell would smell
would be a less intense version of the steak on a grill, without the actual
smell of the grill. The tissue should start to turn a greyish-brown color as it
heats up. You then can cut the steak down the middle of the treated area and
see how deep the waves have penetrated the muscle tissue. You could even use your fingers to feel the difference between the treated and untreated areas. Now this exact
reaction of “cooking flesh” isn’t what is done during a treatment on an injured
patient, but it offers proof that the sound waves actually exist and a visual of
power of the thermal effects of the sound waves. Bon apatite!
Discussion
Perception means to take in all types of sensory information
and use known information and prior experiences to make sense of everything. The person’s own personality and thought
processes mold these to make them fit into what makes sense to them at the
time.
My original observation of administering an ultrasound
treatment enlightened me to many things I did not actually acknowledge before.
I had noticed many of the things I wrote about, but never actually took the
time to pay attention to them. I can
see the handle for the ultrasound is shaped specifically for a hand based on
the location of certain curves and indents, but had never concentrated on how
it fit my hand so well and was perfectly balanced in weight. Had it been
unevenly balanced I surely would have noticed that!
I had reimagined this
procedure in several ways but thought best to create things that could not be
obtained in the original observation such as seeing the meat literally being
cooked using something (sound waves) that is neither directly felt by the human
body nor can be seen by the human eye. I acknowledge that this demonstration is
not all too different from the usage of the original application and many of
the same senses are being used in the same way, but I feel that it presents the
actual effects of the high-frequency sound waves create within soft tissue.
This cannot actually be seen when performed on a human body, though other
effects may be evident. This thermal effect essentially primes the tissue for
elongation and one effect may be a larger range of motion within a joint. A
non-thermal effect of ultrasound is to decrease inflammation. As this cannot be
seen, a decrease in pain or edema represents a positive effect.
I feel this “re-imagined” representation of ultrasound is
actually quite useful. It would help students trying to understand certain
parameters of ultrasound treatments and have a better grasp on something that
is hardly felt and cannot actually be seen. It’s a way to bring all the science
they have learned regarding therapeutic ultrasound “to life”.
No comments:
Post a Comment