Sustained Acoustic Medicine: A Novel Long Duration Approach to Biomodulation Utilizing Low Intensity Therapeutic Ultrasound

Abstract

Therapeutic ultrasound is an established technique for biomodulation used by physical therapists. Typically it is used to deliver energy locally for the purpose of altering tissue plasticity and increasing local circulation. Access to ultrasound therapy has been limited by equipment and logistic requirements, which has reduced the overall efficacy of the therapy. Ultrasound miniaturization allows for development of portable, wearable, self-applied ultrasound devices that sidestep these limitations. Additionally, research has shown that the timescale of acoustic stimulation matters, and directly affects the quality of result. This paper describes a novel, long duration approach to therapeutic ultrasound and reviews the current data available for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions.

Keywords: SAM; Therapeutic ultrasound; biomodulation; regeneration.

Figures

Figure 1:

(a-f) Depictions of design iterations of portable, wearable device design, progressing from initial prototype towards final design.

Figure 2:

Bandage containing long-duration coupling medium attached to the body.

Figure 3:

Placebo controlled pain relief for trapezius muscle spasms in a patient population where opioids were not providing adequate pain relief.

Figure 4:

Placebo controlled pain relief for osteoarthritis over six weeks of SAM therapy.

Figure 5:

(top) Subject pain over six weeks of SAM therapy. The average pain decrease was 4.28 points on a 10 pt VAS scale (p < 0.001). (bottom) Subject pain decrease across single treatments (averaged over two week data periods). *(p < 0.001), †(p = 0.08)