Teams in Korea and China are conducting preclinical research on low-intensity focused ultrasound’s ability to help regenerate cartilage and relieve pain from soft tissue injuries.
A Combinational Therapy of Articular Cartilage Defects: Rapid and Effective Regeneration by Using Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound After Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cell Transplantation
Researchers in Korea sought to determine whether a combination therapy of focused ultrasound plus local adipose tissue-derived stem cells would create an efficient healing environment for cartilage regeneration. The group applied low-intensity focused ultrasound in the range of 100 to 600 mV to rats with defective cartilage for 20 minutes a day over two weeks and compared the results to a control group. Histology, gross appearance, and Mankin scoring showed impressive results. Could this regime be helpful for osteoarthritis? See Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine >
Alleviation Effects and Mechanisms of Low‐intensity Focused Ultrasound on Pain Triggered by Soft Tissue Injury
Because soft tissue injuries often cause intractable pain, a group of biomedical engineers at Chongqing Medical University in China assessed the efficacy and mechanisms of using low‐intensity focused ultrasound for soft tissue injury healing in rabbits. A 20-second fixed treatment was followed by a 60-second mobile treatment daily for 10 consecutive days using a power output of 5 to 6 Watts at a frequency of 0.8 MHz. Were pain biomarkers lower after the treatment? See the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine >