Ultrasound - it sounds like a cheesy name for a boom box stereo from the 80's.  But when you are in pain - acute or chronic - it can be tremendously helpful.

Ultrasound has been around for over 80 years as a physiotherapy device.  It is basically a crystal that produces sound waves at 1 million to 3 million cycles per second - much faster than we can hear with our ears.  By comparison, a young person can usually hear sounds from 30 cycles per second up to 20,000 cycles per second.  Ultra sound is about a 100 times higher frequency than anyone can hear with their ears.  In fact it is so high that it can not even travel through the air.  It can only travel through solids and gels.

What does ultrasound do?  It has two main physical reactions.  The vibrations actually vibrate the cells enough to speed up their metabolism and heat them up.  Properly used an ultrasound treatment will heat up the tissue 5 to 10 degrees.  This heat increases circulation and fluid exchange to reduce muscle spasm and increase the mobility of tight tissues.  A hot pack will do the same thing but it will only push heat into the tissues for about half an inch.  An ultrasound can heat tissues 2 to 3 inches deep.  This is about how deep the tiny muscles that support and control movement in the spine are.

The second main effect is to produce something called micro-cavitation.  This is about creating expansion and contraction of the microscopic gas bubbles in our tissues.  This helps to decrease the inflammation in the tissue thereby reducing swelling and pain.

Chiropractors and physical therapists have been using ultrasound for many years for:

    Breaking up scar tissue and adhesions
    Reducing inflammation, swelling, and calcium deposits
    Creating a deep heat to a localized area to ease muscle spasms
    Increasing muscle stretch ability  prior to exercise
    Facilitating healing on the cellular level
    Speeding up metabolism and improving blood flow
    Enhancing drug delivery through the skin

I used to have an ultrasound machine in my old office in old Fair Oaks, but we finally wore it out.  It was a great help in treating painful low back and neck conditions.  Much of my practice is for the treatment of pain so I have just recently purchased a new ultrasound therapeutic device.  This one is much fancier than my old unit and can be used to treat many more tissues than just the low back and neck.  The new unit has three sound heads and many more ways to vary the treatment so that we can now treat elbows, knees, feet, and hands.  Treatment of the shoulder is now easier as well.

I have been training Gypsy to administer the ultrasound treatments the last couple weeks and will now be reintroducing ultrasound therapy into the office to assist in treating my patients in pain.  Ultrasound treatment will only cost $18 per session, a fraction of the cost for the same treatment at a physical therapist's office.

At the same time I am introducing the use of micro-current stimulation to activate the healing communication between the cells in inflamed and damaged tissues.  Micro-current uses tiny pulses of electricity at the same level that healthy cells normally generate to communicate with each other.  When cells are sick or inflamed, their ability to generate this current is diminished which impairs the healing in the area.  By using a powerful current sensing device we can test to see if this current has been compromised, and if so we can "recharge" the cells in that area with new current.

Micro current devices are also used to locate and treat acupuncture points without the use of needles.  Double blind studies show the same benefit to using micro-current treatment for acupuncture points as found using traditional needles.  Because of the concern for infections arising from the use of needles, many acupuncturists are switching to using micro-current for treatment.

I believe the combination of ultrasound and micro-current will prove to be a very powerful support to help in the healing of my patients.

Physical therapy and the use of these modalities proceeds a little differently than the way I use Chiropractic.  Physical therapy supports the normal healing of your tissues by speeding up certain processes for a short time.  This speeding up needs to be repeated two or three times a week for two or three weeks to achieve maximum results.  It is not a rebalancing and realigning of structures that can sometimes achieve full results in only a couple treatments.  When tissues have become damaged or inflamed, the body needs to go through a healing process.  We see the same thing when I treat people after an auto accident that has damaged tissues - it takes time.  When things are simply unbalanced just getting them back to balance may be all that is needed.  When healing needs to happen, time and support are needed.

Our plan is to start this week offering the ultrasound and micro-current treatment to any patient that is in pain or has a chronic stubborn area of poor function to start supporting everyone back to health with this new addition to our services.  As an introduction we will be charging half price for this therapy - only $9 per treatment for the month of February.  After that the price will go to the normal $18 per visit.  Expect to arrange for at least a couple treatments a week for two or three weeks to see if you get supportive results.  Not every condition responds to these modalities, but the usual protocol is to give it 6 to 10 treatments to judge its effectiveness. 

Treatments last 10 to 15 minutes.  Wear clothing that will allow direct access to the treatment area.  We have gowns for use when necessary to allow this.  The ultrasound treatment begins with putting a conducting gel on the skin over the area to be treated, then moving the sound head coupled with the gel back and forth for several minutes.  You should only feel warmth from the sound head.  If it gets too warm let Gypsy know right away, as everybody's tissue responds a little differently.  More heat is not better so do not ignore a body signal of too much heat.  The micro-current feels like a slight tingling sensation or often nothing at all.

As metabolism increases in the area of injury, pain decreases, swelling subsides, spasming settles down, and healing speeds up.

I hope you are as excited about this new addition to our services as I am.  I am always looking for more effective ways to stimulate healing.  I am not fond of pain or dysfunction, and I believe you are not either.

Yours in health,


David     

Take care,

David            

 

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About Dr. DeLapp

Dr. DeLapp has been a philosopher, non-force Chiropractor, medical intuitive, and health innovator for over 30 years.  He began experimenting with  medical intuition in 1972 while studying physics at UC Davis.  In addition to physics he designed and completed an individual major in the philosophy and psychology of education.  Shortly after he choose to pursue a career in the only truly health oriented profession available at that time, Chiropractic.  He graduated with honors in 1981 with his doctorate and opened a private practice. 
Since that time he has continued his research into the effects of consciousness and learning on health. 
He developed the Biomagnetic Retraining system for correcting movement abnormalities. 
Since 1991 he has focused on developing a powerful system for uncovering and assisting the mind-body connection in health and personal growth.  The in-depth coaching, guided by the subconscious direction from the body, is called Heartflow and the simpler mind-body retraining for health and unfoldment he has named Gracework.  Both are available at Fair Oaks Health.

Dr David DeLapp DC
Chiropractor

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Massage Practitioner

 

 

 

 

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