Joints: in the knee, we can study the meniscus, which is a pad of cartilage that can get torn or crushed.Achilles tendon): to look for partial or complete rupture Ligaments (e.g., ACL): to look for tears.Muscles (e.g., biceps): to look for tears or contracture.It can help tell me whether an injury is due to trauma or deterioration of that tendon, which changes the way I treat the dog. Orthopedic ultrasound has become part of my workup for any injury to the Achilles tendon. What else do veterinarians use orthopedic ultrasound for? After a few more weeks, Mack’s knee function became completely normal.Īs you can see, the ultrasound completely changed the course of treatment. One month later, Mack was feeling much better. We also started him on a glucosamine joint supplement and a special diet, rich in fish oil, specifically designed for patients with arthritis. ![]() Rather, we would rest Mack very strictly for four weeks and reassess the situation. I did not recommend surgery at this time. The conclusion was mild deterioration of the ACL.Īrmed with this new information, I told my client that I did not think Mack was a surgical candidate. It showed that the ACL was slightly irregular in thickness. Instead of recommending surgery to “explore” Mack’s knee and to possibly repair a torn ACL, I suggested performing an orthopedic ultrasound. How did the orthopedic ultrasound help Mack? At worst, an uncooperative patient may need sedation. It allows veterinarians to study muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints in a completely non-invasive and non-painful way. ![]() That’s true, but an exciting branch of ultrasound technology (first used in equine sports medicine) is now gaining acceptance for smaller animals- orthopedic ultrasound. You may think of an ultrasound as a tool to look into a dog’s belly, e.g., a pregnant female or a puppy who swallowed something he shouldn’t have.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |