What musculoskeletal ultrasound can detect

Musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound is a fast, radiation-free scan that lets a doctor look at tendons, ligaments, muscles, nerves, bursae and joint surfaces in real time. At JointDoc we use it both to diagnose joint pain and to guide injections with millimetre precision.

What is musculoskeletal ultrasound?

MSK ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to build a live image of soft tissues and joint surfaces. Because the scan is dynamic, your doctor can move the joint while imaging — something MRI and X-ray cannot do — to provoke and pinpoint the source of pain.

What can musculoskeletal ultrasound detect?

• Tendon tears and tendinopathy (rotator cuff, Achilles, patellar, tennis and golfer's elbow)
• Ligament sprains and tears (ankle, knee collateral ligaments, wrist)
• Muscle tears, haematomas and scar tissue
• Joint effusions, synovitis and early inflammatory arthritis changes
• Bursitis (subacromial, trochanteric, pes anserine, olecranon)
• Ganglion cysts, lipomas and other soft-tissue lumps
• Nerve entrapments such as carpal tunnel and ulnar neuropathy
• Foreign bodies (splinters, glass) that don't show on X-ray

How ultrasound guides injections

Blind injections miss the target up to 30% of the time. Ultrasound guidance lets your JointDoc clinician see the needle tip as it enters the joint, tendon sheath or bursa — meaning the medication reaches the exact tissue that needs it. This applies to cortisone injections, PRP (platelet-rich plasma), hyaluronic acid, hydrodissection of entrapped nerves and aspiration of effusions or cysts.

When your physio might refer you for an MSK ultrasound

Your physiotherapist may recommend a scan with JointDoc when pain isn't responding to treatment, when the diagnosis is unclear, when an ultrasound-guided injection could unlock rehab, or when imaging is needed before returning to sport. Because JointDoc operates inside partner physio practices, you can usually be scanned in the same rooms you already attend.