Content
How does therapeutic ultrasound work in functional voice pathologies? 2
HOW IS THERAPEUTIC ULTRASOUND GENERATED? 3
Therapeutic ultrasound equipment used in phoniatric rehabilitation. 3
MEANS OF CONTACT 3
There are two factors that are going to be managed with therapeutic ultrasound and that are the ones we use in the phoniatric rehabilitation of voice pathologies: 4
The mechanical effect 4
Thermal effect 4
How does therapeutic ultrasound work in functional voice pathologies?
Therapeutic ultrasound has been applied as a technique in phoniatric rehabilitation since the 1990s, until today in functional voice pathologies, such as: Vocal nodules, glottal hiatus, hypertrophy of ventricular bands, chordal hemorrhage, vocal mute, presbyphonia, psychogenic and also in traumatic and idiopathic dysphonia such as chordal paralysis and spasmodic dysphonia.
The basis of this treatment consists of mechanical sound waves not perceptible by the human ear, and have a frequency higher than 16,000Hz, although those used in medicine are usually of a frequency higher than 0.5 Megahertz (MHZ). It usually ranges between 0.5 and 3 MHZ for therapeutic use and between 1 and 10 MHz in Ultrasound.
HOW IS THERAPEUTIC ULTRASOUND GENERATED?
The piezoelectric effect: these are electrical changes that occur on the external surface of the piezoelectric material when pressure is applied to quartz crystals and certain polycrystalline materials (lead zirconate titanate and barium titanate). In the human body, these effects are observed especially in bone tissue, cartilage, collagen fibers and muscle tissue, this effect is reversible.
Therapeutic ultrasound equipment used in phoniatric rehabilitation.
It consists of a high frequency generator connected to a piezoelectric crystal of the application head. When the applied alternating current passes through this crystal, it generates the vibration that is transmitted to the patient.
MEANS OF CONTACT
It is the medium that is required for the transmission of ultrasound between the treatment head and the patient's body, the most commonly used media are: Aqueous gels (they are the most recommended).
There are two factors that are going to be managed with therapeutic ultrasound and that are the ones we use in the phoniatric rehabilitation of voice pathologies:
The mechanical effect
At the moment we are stimulating the tissue with the ultrasound we will produce a cavitation or the formation and destruction of small micro air bubbles inside the tissue, this will stimulate all the adjacent tissue and will help us for inflammatory and painful processes and also to desensitize nervous areas, all this will depend on the intensity we use, in our case we use 1.5 watts/cts. He continued, daily until completing twelve sessions.
Thermal effect
Any energy that is used on the body at a given moment will produce a change and in this case the kinetic energy of ultrasound will be converted into heat energy, which will help us for different types of vocal pathology, since it uses heat at specific depths, decreasing inflammatory process at the level of the musculature of the phonatory apparatus both intrinsic and extrinsic muscles.
