Ultrasound can be used to examine muscles, tendons, joints, ligaments and fascia as well as other soft tissue structures like finger pulleys and superficial soft tissue masses.
The advantages of ultrasound include no ionising radiation, the ability to focally direct the examination to the site(s) of pain and to specific structures, the ability to examine the structures dynamically (ie watch as the parts of the body move) and examine with the part of the body in different positions.
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Ultrasound Joints
i. Shoulder
1. Glenohumeral joint
2. Acromioclavicular joint
ii. Elbow
iii. Wrist
1. Radiocarpal joint
2. Ulnocarpal joint
3. Distal radioulnar joint
iv. Intercarpal joints
v. Carpometacarpal joints
vi. Metacarpophalangeal joints
vii. Symphysis pubis articulation
viii. Hip (femoroacetabular) joint
ix. Knee joint
x. Ankle joint
xi. Talonavicular joint
xii. Talocalcaneal joint
xiii. Intertarsal joints
xiv. Tarsometatarsal joints
xv. Metatarsophalangeal joints -
Ultrasound Nerves
1. Greater occipital nerve
2. Brachial plexus
3. Suprascapular nerve
4. Radial nerve
5. Posterior interosseous nerve
6. Ulnar nerve (at the cubital tunnel, at the wrist, at Guyon’s canal)
7. Median nerve (pronator teres syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome)
8. Ilioinguinal nerve
9. Lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh
10. Sciatic nerve (hydrodissection)
11. Peroneal nerve at the fibular head
12. Gluteal nerve
13. Posterior tibial nerve
14. Medial and lateral plantar nerves
15. Digital nerves (Morton Neuroma) -
Ultrasound Tendons
1. Rotator cuff tendons
2. proximal biceps tendons (long head of biceps tendon, short head of biceps tendon)
3. distal biceps tendon
4. distal triceps tendon
5. common flexor tendon insertion complex
6. common extensor tendon insertion complex
7. De Quervain’s tenosynovitis (abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis tendons)
8. Intersection syndrome (abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis tendons and extensor carpi radialis longus and brevis tendons)
9. Extensor and flexor tendons of the wrist
10. Quadriceps tendons
11. Hamstring tendons
12. Gemelli tendons, obturator internus tendon
13. Piriformis tendon
14. Gluteal tendons
15. Iliotibial band syndrome
16. Pes anserinus
17. Patellar tendon
18. Achilles tendon
19. Tibialis anterior tendon
20. Tibialis posterior tendon
21. flexor and extensor tendons of the ankle
22. peroneal tendons -
Ultrasound Ligaments
1. Scapholunate ligament
2. Ulnar collateral ligament of the first metacarpophalangeal joint
3. Triangular fibrocartilage complex
4. Medial and lateral collateral ligaments of the knee
5. Deltoid ligaments
6. Medial ligaments of the ankle -
Ultrasound Bursa
1. Subdeltoid bursa
2. Olecranon bursa
3. Ulnar bursa
4. Prepatellar bursa
5. Suprapatellar bursa
6. Submaximus bursa, trochanteric bursa
7. Submedius bursa -
Ultrasound Fascia
1. Plantar fascia
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Ultrasound Pulleys
1. A1 pulley of the finger
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Ultrasound Tarsal tunnel, carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel etc