Dupuytren’s contracture ultrasound treatment – 3 MHz at-home unit
Ultrasound treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture
Dupuytren’s contracture ultrasound treatment is a non-invasive therapy applied directly on the DC fibrous tissue in the hand. Ultrasound for Dupuytren’s contracture has a great therapeutic effect, especially on the soft tissue. Soft tissue is high in collagen and fibrin cells. Examples of soft tissue are muscles, tendons, ligaments, muscles and scars. Add Dupuytren’s contracture to that list because palm lumps and finger cords are mostly made of collagen and fibrin. In fact, ultrasound therapy is the non-drug treatment of choice for many soft tissue problems. Clearly, Dupuytren’s contracture is a soft tissue problem ideally suited for ultrasound treatment.
Using ultrasound for Dupuytren’s contracture makes sense. After all, the palm nodule and finger cord are made of the same type III collagen and fibrin normally found in the palm. The problem is, in DC there is too much of it. For this reason, ultrasound treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture is a popular therapy that appeals to people.
People like treating Dupuytren’s contracture with ultrasound for several reasons:
- No pain; comfortable to apply
- Good reports of effectiveness from users
- Safe, no side effects
- Do at home, anytime and day
- Applied directly to the problem tissue
- Easy to apply
- Economical
- Can also be used to treat arthritis of small joints
Ultrasound treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture was included into the DCI large treatment plan in 2012. That same year DCI started to advise adding it to any plan that was not working well. Since then, many times over, ultrasound has made all the difference to ineffective plans that needed a little boost.
DCI experience with Dupuytren’s contracture ultrasound treatment
Because 72% of DCI customers combine ultrasound into larger size plans, DCI treatment results are good. Indications are that ultrasound boosts Dupuytren’s contracture treatment results. When our treatment suggestions are carefully used, 8-10 people report moderate to marked improvement of their DC, for every one report of failure. Indeed, Dupuytren’s contracture ultrasound treatment is an important part of that success.
What is ultrasound?
It is not complicated. Simply, ultrasound is high-pitched (high frequency) sound a human cannot hear. Specifically, ultrasound is sound greater than a frequency of 20,000 Hz.
The abbreviation Hz stands for hertz. Hertz is a unit of measurement to count vibrations that happen in one second. One hertz (Hz) means something vibrates one time in one second. 17 Hz means something vibrates 17 times in one second. When something vibrates a million times in a second, it is abbreviated 1 MHz. This is important. 1 MHz is a common sound frequency when discussing ultrasound. And, so is 3 MHz.
For reference, the frequency of the human voice is 85 to 255 Hz. Further, the human ear can hear within a range of 20 to 20,000 Hz. At 1 MHz, ultrasound cannot be hear by any human. Not even by a bat.
When electricity passes through a small mineral crystal, it will vibrate.This vibration creates sound. Like when a bell vibrates and makes a sound. The sound frequency depends on the size and shape of the crystal. As we already know, ultrasound vibrations can go well past a million per second. Once created, ultrasound waves pass from the sound head of the machine, and travel into any tissue it contacts.
Sound energy moves whatever it contacts. When ultrasound energy contacts the human body, that part of the body will vibrate at the same fast frequency, also. Further, ultrasound vibrations will transfer into abnormal, malfunctioning or injured tissue. As we will see, this is important because vibrating living cells makes them work faster and better. This is the key to why Dupuytren’s contracture ultrasound treatment is so important.
This is fast
There are two kinds of medical ultrasound:
1. Diagnostic ultrasound – to create images (ultrasonography) and for information to make a diagnosis.
2. Therapeutic ultrasound – to treat pain, reduce inflammation, reduce spasm, and promote healing, primarily of soft tissue in the body.
In a medical clinic or hospital, ultrasound machines are large and produce sound at a frequency of 1,000,000 cycles per second (1 MHz). They are useful for treating a variety of problems in all areas of the body. However, in the last 10 years, even faster ultrasound frequencies have appeared.
Specifically, there are 2,000,000 (2 MHz) and 3,000,000 (3 MHz) ultrasound units now available. At these higher frequencies, something interesting happens. Slower ultrasound penetrates the tissue deeper than faster ultrasound. A 2 MHz sound wave does not go as deep into the body as a 1 MHz sound wave. And, a 3 MHz sound wave does not go as deep as a 2 MHz sound wave. Either way, faster ultrasound energy creates resistance to deep penetration, keeping the sound energy at the surface. While the slower sound energy allows deeper penetration. There are times and situations when it is important to keep the ultrasound energy at the top layers of the body. Such as, ultrasound treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture.
Currently, there are 3 MHz units that are battery operated making them potable, smaller, lighter, easier to use and less expensive. These battery operated 3 MHz units are ideal for Dupuytren’s contracture ultrasound treatment at-home use.
What does ultrasound therapy do?
Doctors use therapeutic ultrasound primarily for soft tissue (tendon, ligament, muscle and joint) problems. Soft tissue responds better to ultrasound than any other tissue (liver, bone, brain, etc.). This is so because soft tissue has a high collagen and fibrin content. Collagen and fibrin are very high in protein. This is why we eat meat, because of the collagen and fibrin found in meat. It is the protein of collagen and fibrin that responds so well to the vibration and up-regulation of the metabolism.
When tissue vibrates so fast, a few things happen that are important to all soft tissue problems, especially Dupuytren’s contracture:
- Heating effect: Warms the tissue by vibration and friction, caused by sound waves hitting and shaking the tissues. Just like rubbing your hands together. However, this heating happens deep below the surface where there are no nerve endings. For this reason, the patient cannot feel the tissue becoming warmer. Remember, this warming benefits the DC healing process. A heating pad or hot water bottle can only warm the surface of the body. It only feels hot on the surface. The heat cannot get down deeply because blood circulation carries the heat away. Ultrasound warms all tissues faster than the blood can cool them. In fact, it even warms the blood vessels. As important as this thermal effect is, the non-thermal effects are even more powerful.
- Non-heating effects:
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CAVITATION – the formation of dissolved temporary gas cavities or voids within body fluids and tissue cells. Formation of these gas voids increases the metabolic activity of cell membranes. Cavitation also increases the effect of the acoustic streaming phenomena, next. These cavities collapse almost immediately, releasing a large amount of energy. In turn, this results in additional deep warming.
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ACOUSTIC STREAMING – a small-scale ripple effect of any fluid near a vibrating structure, such as cell membranes or fluids inside a cell. This is an extremely powerful form of fluid movement. It increases the activity and metabolism of any cell in the energy stream. It makes sodium and calcium ions pass more easily through cell walls. In turn, enzymes work better, protein metabolism is increased, and the cells function at a faster rate. Consequently, all these changes “up regulate,” or excite cellular activity. Thus, ultrasound acoustic streaming acts as a trigger to increase the therapeutic outcome of healing and repair.
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MICROMASSAGE – a mechanical shaking or vibration, enhancing tissue fluid interchange, as well as cellular movement.
In summary, the combined effects of cavitation, acoustic streaming, and micromassage is that the metabolism of cell membranes is “excited” (up regulated) by these waves of energy. Of course, this is a good thing to assist ultrasound therapy for Dupuytren’s contracture repair.
Not all therapeutic ultrasound the same
Use 3 MHz, not 1 MHz – keep in case the above title must be eliminated
Dupuytren’s contracture is a relatively superficial soft tissue problem. The dense fibrous tissue is immediately below the skin surface. Any ultrasound machine used to treat Dupuytren’s contracture must have a particular frequency range to keep the therapeutic sound waves within the palm lump and finger cord. A 1MHz machine penetrates too deeply to be effective for Dupuytren’s contracture. This sound frequency is good for treating large joint problems of the hip, knee and low back. By contrast, a 3 MHz unit penetrates just a little below the surface, for cosmetic problems like facial wrinkles and skin discoloration. What is more, it is ideal to treat Dupuytren’s contracture.
To summarize, use 3 MHz ultrasound to treat Dupuytren’s contracture. A faster 3MHz unit produces ultrasound that works near the surface of the skin, where the problem of DC is located. Not deep down The sound waves of the 1 MHz and 2 MHz ultrasound machines travel too deeply for good Dupuytren’s contracture ultrasound treatment.
Using ultrasound treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture
Full instructions for using our 3MHz ultrasound machine come with each DCI order. You will have all the information you need to use ultrasound correctly for Dupuytren’s contracture therapy. The DCI notes make it easy to use ultrasound at home. No one complains they do not understand.
As good as ultrasound therapy for Dupuytren’s contracture might be, it is still not an effective solo or stand-alone therapy against DC. But then again, no single therapy is an effective solo or stand-alone treatment against this difficult problem. For this reason, DCI does not recommend anyone use one single treatment method – no matter what it is – against Dupuytren’s contracture. Many medical studies test treating Dupuytren’s contracture with ultrasound, using it as a stand-alone or solo therapy. DCI does not recommend doing it that way.It takes a lot sometimes to support an effective effort to reverse Dupuytren’s contracture.
Dupuytren’s contracture ultrasound treatment is not a magic bullet or cure for palm lumps and finger cords. It only helps the healing process. Ultrasound is a great tool to assist the healing process. Regardless, it still takes a lot of time and work to get the job done to the best of your ability.
Please discuss the use of ultrasound for Dupuytren’s contracture with your medical doctor. Natural Health Education LLC and DCI will assume you have talked to your doctor and gotten approval for ultrasound use in your case, or you will not order this medical device.
