RE: Ultrasound may help fractures heal

[Guest guest]

Hi there..

Interesting reading...does anyone know if this technique works on the

destruction of bone from erosive inflammatory osteo or RA destruction???

Thanks

Sam

[ ] Ultrasound may help fractures heal

Ultrasound may help fractures heal

By Merritt McKinney

NEW YORK, Mar 29 (Reuters Health) - In a finding that challenges the

usual thinking about treating bone fractures, researchers in Canada

report that zapping fractures with ultrasound waves may speed healing.

" This will more than likely change the way we treat fractures, " Dr.

W. Busse, of Oncidium Health Group in Burlington, Ontario, told

Reuters Health. Busse is the lead author of the study, which was

published in a recent issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

One benefit of ultrasound therapy for fractures, Busse said, is that the

devices can be used by patients at home.

Conventional wisdom has been that ultrasound should not be used to treat

fractures, according to Busse. In fact, there was concern that

ultrasound would actually damage bone and decrease healing, he

explained.

" Our study, looking at clinical trials on this topic, showed the

opposite, " Busse said.

More recent studies have shown that high doses of ultrasound can be

detrimental, but some research has suggested that low doses can be

helpful. Exactly how ultrasound affects bone healing is unknown.

Busse and his colleagues found that ultrasound improved fracture healing

when they analyzed the results of several previously published studies.

Those studies compared fracture healing times in people who received

low-dose ultrasound and in those who did not receive the treatment.

Healing was an average of 64 days shorter in patients treated with

ultrasound than in patients who did not receive the therapy, the

investigators report.

Though the review showed that healing time decreased in patients treated

with ultrasound, Busse said, " Larger trials are needed to define a more

accurate determination of the exact benefit. " He added the effect of

ultrasound on unhealed fractures that have been treated surgically is

not known and needs to be studied.

SOURCE: Canadian Medical Association Journal 2002;166:437-441.