New diagnostic ultrasound equipment is set to achieve improved outcomes for patients at The Physiotherapy Centre at Holy Cross Hospital in Haslemere.
The purchase of the state-of-the-art equipment was made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Friends of Holy Cross Hospital.
Since acquiring the equipment, The Physiotherapy Centre’s women’s health specialist has been using it with patients of all ages who are experiencing problems with their pelvic floor function. With the help of ultrasound, patients can see and feel their pelvic floor moving in real time so they can learn when they are carrying out pelvic floor exercises correctly.
To make full use of the ultrasound’s advanced capabilities, lead physiotherapist Jo Hounsome has recently completed a postgraduate certificate in medical ultrasound. This means she is now qualified to use ultrasound to scan the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, knee, ankle and foot to identify and evaluate a variety of conditions.
Jo Hounsome says: “A thorough physio assessment and examination usually gives us a good idea about a patient’s condition but when combined with an ultrasound scan, we can confirm the diagnosis with more certainty, examine the extent of the injury and design a treatment plan which offers the best possible outcome.
“Diagnostic ultrasound is excellent for evaluating conditions such as muscle tears, tendon and ligament injuries, inflammatory arthritis, plantar fasciitis, Carpal tunnel syndrome and more. An ultrasound scan can be booked alongside a physiotherapy assessment or, current patients can be referred by their therapist. As physiotherapists, we are delighted to have this new diagnostic tool which is enabling us to offer an even better service to our patients.”
Ultrasound is very safe and quick to use. It uses high frequency sound waves to obtain images from inside the body. Patients usually receive the results of their scan immediately so they can discuss the findings with their physiotherapist.
The Physiotherapy Centre and Holy Cross Hospital are owned by the Daughters of the Cross which is a registered charity. Their purpose is the promotion of healthcare and education. The Physiotherapy Centre opened in 2009 to provide outpatient physiotherapy services for people living in the local community.
