ABSTRACT
Musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound (US) is used to diagnose injuries to ligaments, tendons, muscles, bones, and nerves.32 Although the physical exam is the standard approach to any MSK injury, some aspects of the physical exam lack of both sensitivity and specicity,33 including even being able to accurately palpate a knee joint line or an acromioclavicular joint.27 There are many advantages to utilizing MSK US including the ability of the provider performing the evaluation of the patient to perform the diagnostic imaging at the point of care,31 the ability to perform a dynamic exam, the ability to nd many MSK injuries with the same or better accuracy as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)11,35 (at a signicant reduction in cost), and the ability to accurately guide percutaneous treatments,32 all with improved safety over other imaging modalities. As the cost of US machines becomes more affordable and the image quality continues to improve, physicians that have MSK US as a portion of their practice will realize clear benets (Table 19.1).
