In the last few years, we’ve seen some serious improvements in the portable ultrasound machine. The image quality available in these units has undergone some drastic renovations. These machines are invaluable when mobility is crucial, ample space isn’t available or imaging needs to be performed in the field.

Marty Wilcox introduced the world to portable ultrasound in 1975 with his ADR 2130. Machines of today have come a long we since this bulky, cumbersome device. Weighing in at 25 lbs., with 3 linear probes and an oscilloscope monitor, these devices were a revolution in their time. Today, the archaic oscilloscope has been replaced by small TV screens with a digital interface. The heavy machines of past have been streamlined and reinvented as light, hand-held devices that operate on batteries.

These devices send high frequency sound waves through the patient’s body and provide diagnostic imaging by interpreting the physical characteristics the waves encounter. A special gel is required to achieve transference from the hand held probe to the patient’s body. These ultrasonic waves are usually over 800,000 Hz. Looking at the etymology of the word we can discern that these devices use very high pitched sound waves, emanating frequencies higher than humans or animals can audibly perceive. Incredibly, these frequencies are so high they can actually move the cells in the human body. This possibility gave way to a therapeutic consideration for ultrasound technology.

In addition to diagnostic imaging, therapeutic ultrasound devices have been a safe an effective tool used by chiropractors and physical therapists since the 1940s. Therapeutic ultrasound machines penetrate the skin by several issues and the sound waves, remarkably, massage the tissue. Deep heat is applied to the tissue. It benefits the affected area but presents no discomfort, as the heat from these sound waves is beneath the threshold of perception for the human body.

Guangzhou Jia Yu medical equipment Limited