After experiencing six months of debilitating pain due to a frozen shoulder, Abigail Prout from Washington State was more than ready to understand the cause of her pain. She jumped at the chance to see Dr. Greg Fritz for an ultrasound exam of her shoulder to rule out serious issues such as a muscle tear. She was delighted to learn she wouldn’t need surgery.
It was good to understand the cause of my pain as it helped calm my mental anxiety about what was going on with my shoulder,” Abigail explains. “It’s important to have a visual and to have somebody walking you through the visual as it’s happening is pretty empowering as a patient. Not being a medical person, it actually helps to have a doctor tell me what I’m seeing and where I’m seeing it. It does really help to hear that there isn’t any major trauma to the site other than the inflammation. That actually feels good.”
We had the opportunity to interview Abigail following her ultrasound exam. Watch the video to learn more about what she had to say about her experience with ultrasound.
The Clinician’s Perspective
As a doctor of physiotherapy who has been using ultrasound for more than a decade, Greg Fritz says his experience with Abigail is common.
Using ultrasound to show patients exactly what is happening to cause them pain motivates them to do the work to recover,” he explains. “This patient was concerned that she had a torn rotator cuff so she was fearful of doing the exercises her physiotherapist was prescribing. I was able to show her that there was no tear and she was able to relax and do the work she needed to do to heal. That’s the power of ultrasound imaging.”
Watch Dr. Fritz demonstrate how he examined Abigail’s shoulder using the Clarius L15 HD3 handheld ultrasound scanner.
Handheld Ultrasound for MSK Clinicians
Ideal for MSK anatomy down to 7 cm, the Clarius L15 HD3 high-frequency ultrasound scanner is available with an optional Advanced MSK Package for diagnostic and interventional procedures.
Clarius offers four pocket ultrasound scanners that deliver superior ultrasound imaging for MSK applications. Learn more about which Clarius Handheld Ultrasound scanner is right for your practice. Or contact us today to request an ultrasound demo.
