Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Mar 24;20(1):246.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-020-05119-3.

One in six physiotherapy practices in primary care offer musculoskeletal ultrasound - an explorative survey

Margit K Kooijman  1 , Ilse C S Swinkels  2 , Bart W Koes  3 , Dinny de Bakker  2   4 , Cindy Veenhof  5
Affiliations

One in six physiotherapy practices in primary care offer musculoskeletal ultrasound - an explorative survey

Margit K Kooijman et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Background: The first aim of this research was to investigate the current prevalence of musculoskeletal ultrasound in Dutch physiotherapy practices. The second aim was to explore experiences of physiotherapists with musculoskeletal ultrasound in a primary care setting with patients presenting with shoulder complaints.

Methods: A random sample of 1000 owners of primary care physiotherapy practices was sent a questionnaire to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal ultrasound. A second questionnaire was sent to physiotherapists using musculoskeletal ultrasound to explore experiences with it in patients with shoulder complaints.

Results: The net response rate of the first questionnaire was 57.7%. In 18% of the physiotherapy practices musculoskeletal ultrasound was offered. Sixty-nine physiotherapists returned the second questionnaire. Physiotherapists indicated they most often used musculoskeletal ultrasound in patients with shoulder complaints, mainly for suspected tissue damage (83.7%), followed by making a diagnosis (63.3%) and for determining the choice of treatment (36.7%). Physiotherapists reported the biggest advantage was that they were better able to diagnose presenting shoulder complaints. The most frequently mentioned disadvantage of the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound was that assessment is difficult and that there is a risk that findings may not be sufficiently linked to history and physical examination.

Conclusion: One in six physiotherapy practices in the Netherlands offer musculoskeletal ultrasound. It is mainly used for patients with shoulder complaints, with an emphasis on detecting tissue damage and as an aid for diagnosis. Physiotherapists trained to work with musculoskeletal ultrasound seem enthusiastic and are at the same time aware of its disadvantages.

Keywords: Musculoskeletal pain; Physical therapy modalities; Shoulder pain; Ultrasonography.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interest.

References

    1. Ottenheijm RP, Jansen MJ, Staal JB, van den Bruel A, Weijers RE, de Bie RA, Dinant GJ. Accuracy of diagnostic ultrasound in patients with suspected subacromial disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2010;91(10):1616–1625. - PubMed
    1. Ottenheijm RP, Cals JW, Weijers R, Vanderdood K, de Bie RA, Dinant GJ. Ultrasound imaging for tailored treatment of patients with acute shoulder pain. Ann Fam Med. 2015;13(1):53–55. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Scholten-Peeters GG, Franken N, Beumer A, Verhagen AP. The opinion and experiences of Dutch orthopedic surgeons and radiologitst about diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound imgaging in primary care: a survey. Man Ther. 2014;19(2):103–113. - PubMed
    1. Thoomes-de Graaf M, Ottenheijm RP, Verhagen AP, Duijn E, Karel YHJM, van de Bome MPJ, Beumer A, van Broekhoven J, Dinant GJ, Tetteroo E, Lucas C, Koes BW. Scholten-Peeters GGM: Agreement between physical therapists and radiologists of stratifying patients with shoulder pain into new treatment related categories using ultrasound; an exploratory study. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2019;40:1–9. - PubMed
    1. NIVEL primary care database [www.nivel.nl/node/3242] Accessed Jan 2018.

LinkOut - more resources