GUIDED BY REAL-TIME IMAGING
Precision Treatment Using Real-Time Imaging
Ultrasound-guided injections allow your physician to see the joint, tendon, bursa and surrounding structures while performing an injection. Unlike a traditional landmark-guided (“blind”) injection, where needle placement is estimated using surface anatomy, ultrasound allows the needle and treatment target to be visualized in real time.
Why Use Ultrasound Guidance?
- Improve injection accuracy
- Confirm that medication reaches the intended joint or soft-tissue structure
- Identify joint fluid, bursitis and tendon abnormalities
- Guide aspiration of joint or bursal fluid
- Identify and avoid nearby nerves and blood vessels
- Accommodate differences in individual anatomy
Ultrasound uses sound waves rather than radiation and can be performed conveniently during a sports medicine visit.
Ultrasound-Guided vs. Landmark-Guided Injections
Medical research consistently shows that ultrasound guidance improves the accuracy of many musculoskeletal injections compared with injections performed using anatomical landmarks alone.
Injection
Knee joint
Hip joint
Shoulder joint
Biceps tendon sheath
Ultrasound-Guided
95% Accurate
100% Accurate
93% Accurate
87% Accurate
Landmark-Guided
82%
72%
73%
27%
Studies involving knee osteoarthritis and several shoulder conditions have also found ultrasound guidance can provide better short-term pain relief, function and/or procedural comfort compared with landmark-guided injections.
Importantly, greater accuracy does not guarantee a better outcome in every patient. The effectiveness of an injection also depends on the diagnosis, severity of the condition and treatment being used.
What Can Be Treated?
Ultrasound guidance can be used for injections and procedures involving the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, ankle and foot, as well as many tendons, tendon sheaths and bursae.
Depending on the condition, ultrasound guidance may be used for:
- Corticosteroid
- Hyaluronic Acid
- PRP
- Joint Aspiration
- Bursa Injections
- Tendon-Sheath and Peritendinous Procedures
Why Precision Matters
An injection has the best opportunity to work as intended when treatment reaches the correct anatomical target. Ultrasound guidance gives the physician real-time visualization of both the anatomy and needle, providing greater confidence that treatment is being delivered precisely where it is intended to go.
Evidence summary: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses comparing ultrasound-guided and landmark-guided musculoskeletal injections report higher placement accuracy with ultrasound guidance for many injection sites. Clinical outcomes vary according to the joint, condition and treatment performed.