As a physiotherapist i assess and diagnose injuries on a daily basis. The accuracy of that diagnosis will influence the treatment so it's important to be as thorough as possible.
At the clinic we are lucky enough to have a ultrasound scanner and for the last year i have been looking into the pathway i need to take to learn how to use it.
For climbing injuries it will be particularly useful due to the ability for the scanner to see soft tissues. For example you can detect if the A2 pulley is either strained or ruptured within minutes using a ultrasound scanner.
I attended a 'introduction to musculoskeletal ultrasound' course at Brunel University in January of this year and could really see how useful it would be to be able to use ultrasound as part of my physio assessment.
Next week i will start a part time post graduate course at Derby University and by next June will hopefully have a post graduate certificate in medical ultrasound and will be able to start using the ultrasound scanner when needed.
The course will initially focus on the hand and wrist and with the help of a mentor (our own sports and exercise medicine consultant Dr Lim) will mean that i can learn to accuratly scan for a range of different climbing injuires of the hand and wrist.
The plan will be to eventually learn to scan other areas of the body too.
We will be looking for volunteers to come to the clinic free of charge to allow me to practice scanning techniques so get in contact if this is something you would be able to help with. You don't need to have or have had a hand/wrist injury to volunteer as its useful to see what a 'normal' hand or finger looks like. During the time you will be able to ask for advice on another injury if you like.
I'm keen to get started with th course now and i'm looking forward to learning a new skill!
Cheers,
James
