Physiotherapists at Physio Ed Medical in London are using a SonoSite MicroMaxx ultrasound system to help retrain patients’ core muscle strength after sports and dance-related injuries.
Jane Grey, sports physiotherapist at the Harley Street practice, said: “I use the MicroMaxx ultrasound system specifically to look at the transverse abdominus and the multifidus muscles in real-time. These deep muscles are essential for core strength and are relevant for almost every patient that we see, particularly those with spinal problems, but also for peripheral joint injuries. When these muscles are not working properly, other muscles are recruited and the change in movement patterns can lead, for example, to overuse injuries.
“I chose the MicroMaxx because it is small, compact and portable, we could integrate it with our computer system, it gives good quality images and it is very easy to use. Scanning the patients while they perform retraining exercises helps them enormously as they can see the muscle working correctly and I can also check the timing of the muscle contraction. It is also useful to be able to record scans so that we can review the patient’s progress at a future date.”
