Musculoskeletal Diagnostic Ultrasound Scan in South London
Diagnostic ultrasound at our clinic
We are a leading musculoskeletal clinic offering diagnostic ultrasound and ultrasound guided procedures such as cortisone injections or hyaluronic acid injections for musculoskeletal pathologies. We perform diagnostic ultrasound scans as part of a comprehensive and global assessment of your condition and your general health.
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We offer diagnostic ultrasound at our South London clinic and also offer home visits in the South London area. A free telephone consultation is available to understand whether an ultrasound scan will be helpful and appropriate in your particular case.
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Booking is quick and easy, please see our book appointment page for more details.
What is an Ultrasound Scan examination?
Ultrasound examination, also called ultrasound imaging or ultrasound scan, is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to create real-time images of internal structures in the body. A transducer emits sound waves, and the echoes produced as they bounce off tissues are used to generate detailed images of the musculoskeletal system, which includes muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and joints. Musculoskeletal ultrasound is often used as a dynamic imaging tool, allowing real-time visualization of moving structures which is not possible with X-ray, CT or MRI.
What our patients say
What can be diagnosed with an ultrasound scan?
Musculoskeletal ultrasound can be used to diagnose a variety of conditions affecting the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and other soft tissues in the musculoskeletal system. Some of the common conditions that we diagnose and evaluate include:
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Tendon pathology like tendonitis, tendon tears or ruptures.
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Ligament Injuries such as sprains or tears.
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Joint swelling caused by effusion or synovitis (Inflammation of the joint lining).
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Muscle tears or strains.​
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Nerve conditions and entrapment such as carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome or tarsal tunnel syndrome.​
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Cysts and Masses such as ganglion cysts or lipomas.
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Bursitis commonly seen in shoulder, elbow, hip and knee pain.​
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Arthritis such as osteoarthritis or inflammatory joint diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
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Foreign Bodies
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Fractures and particularly stress fractures can be detected despite not being the best exam for that.
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Calcifications such as calcific tendonitis.
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We also use musculoskeletal ultrasound to guide needle placement during joint aspirations or injections, please visit our treatment page for more information.
Do I need an ultrasound scan for my condition?
An ultrasound scans is an invaluable tool to assess musculoskeletal pathologies and can make a significant difference in your treatment and recovery. However, you do not always need an ultrasound scan and a good clinical examination can be sufficient and as effective, or sometimes there is a better alternative such as a X-ray, CT or MRI. We assess individually each patient to ensure that this is the best examination and we offer a free virtual consultation to save you time and money. Please visit our appointment page for more details.
Please note that we do not scan the following:
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1. Spine and spinal nerves such as to assess sciatica.
2. Non-musculoskeletal related presentations like pregnancy, vascular or abdominal scans.
3. Children before 10.
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Why should I book an ultrasound scan with Insight MSK?
We typically perform diagnostic ultrasound scans as part of a comprehensive management of your problem. An ultrasound scan in isolation is only a single element in the diagnosis process, this need to be correlated to your general health, age, and information from a clinical and physical assessment. This requires several skills and the ability to deal with complex and multiple information which often need the expertise from different specialists and therefore multiple appointments, travel, fees...
We offer all these services together to give you a prompt single point of contact to assess, diagnose and manage your condition thanks to our unique and vast experience in musculoskeletal medicine.
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Your clinician
All our injection treatments are carried out by our experienced physiotherapist and injection clinician, Maxence Legout. Max has over 15 years experience and holds a senior position in the NHS, where he carries out over 2000 ultrasound-guided injection & procedures every year.
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For more information please see our clinician page, or book a free telephone or online consultation to speak to Max directly.
Is an ultrasound scan painful or risky?
No, ultrasound scans are generally not painful but some positions might be temporarily uncomfortable. A gel is applied to the skin to enhance the transmission of sound waves and hence limits the need to compress the probe with most individuals feeling only mild pressure.
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Ultrasound scans are harmless examinations due to the absence of radiations. To ensure the highest safety of our patients we practice in line with the recommendations of The British Medical Ultrasound Society.
We encourage you to communicate any concerns with us to ensure a comfortable and informative experience.
MEDICAL REVIEW - The medical information on this page has been reviewed for accuracy by Maxence Legout, MSc, Physiotherapist.