Imaging muscles, tendon and ligaments allows assessment of structures that are not able to be imaged with radiographs. Ultrasound is the number one modality for diagnosing tendon and ligament injuries.
It has considerable cost and safety advantages over MRI scanning to assess soft tissue structures, and in some cases can be performed without a general anaesthetic. We can use ultrasound as an additional diagnostic test when investigating lameness, which can commonly be caused by soft tissue injuries. Ultrasound is not only useful in the diagnosis of soft tissue strains and sprains, but also in monitoring the response to treatment (e.g. physiotherapy and laser therapy).
The information gained from the ultrasound examination can help adjust the rehabilitation protocol for more successful outcomes. For more severe soft tissue injuries regenerative medicine (PRP- Platelet Rich Plasma and Stem Cell) can be employed to aid healing. This is injected by an ultrasound guided technique to ensure the cells are deposited exactly to the injured area.
The areas that we can currently examine are: tarsus, carpus, stifle, shoulder and iliopsoas muscle/tendon.