Basics of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

Musculoskeletal ultrasound has greatly changed the way many healthcare providers diagnose and treat patients. Almost everyone is familiar with the use of ultrasound technology in the field of obstetrics, but this modality is now being used with increasing frequency by physiatrists, orthopedists, sports medicine physicians, primary care doctors, and emergency physicians. Recently, advances in technology have made machines cheaper and easier to use while producing high quality images. The ability to produce real-time images at the bedside have prompted some to call it the "21st century stethoscope."Many healthcare providers from different fields and different diciplines (including physicians, physical therapists, PAs and NPs, athletic trainers, emergency medical technicians and nurses) at different levels of traning (practicing clinicians, teachers, students, residents and fellows) are seeking training and certification in this field. Basics of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound speaks to this audience by combining practical clinical aspects, from selecting the proper ultrasound machine to "knobology" and tissue scanning, to specific information organized by anatomical structure. By following this very easy step-by-step guide, the clinician can easily reference the patient's position, transducer position and the structure to be scanned, and all instructions correspond with recently published ultrasound guidelines.?

James M. Daniels, MD is a professor of family and community medicine and orthopedic surgery with the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. He has been the sports medicine fellowship program director for the past 8 years and is a member of both American Medical Society of Sports Medicine and American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine. In addition to this, he is on the educational and ultrasound committees for this organization. He has a clinical ultrasonographer and has been scanning for approximately 3 years. He is the co-editor of the Springer book Common Musculoskeletal Problems. William W. Dexter, MD, FACSM, Professor of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine is Director of Sports Medicine at Maine Medical Center (MMC), a program he began and has directed since 1996. Dr. Dexter has a particular interest in MSK ultrasound education, serving on the MSK ultrasound sub-committee of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) as well as the Education and Fellowship committees. He has been instrumental in developing MSK ultrasound education for the Society, developing and chairing a number of courses sponsored jointly by AMSSM and MMC. A recipient of the Maine Governors Council Lifetime Achievement Award, he is very active in the American College of Sports Medicine. He has served in senior leadership roles for the College including chairing the Team Physician and International Team Physician courses as well as the Medical Education Committee. Dr. Dexter is a former editor of The Yearbook of Family Practice and is currently an editor of the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine and Current Sports Medicine Reports.