Which condition is not effectively treated by ultrasound?

Ultrasound is a useful tool in the field of sports medicine for the treatment and diagnosis of various conditions, particularly those involving soft tissues. It is effective in applying therapeutic ultrasound to promote healing in muscle strains, joint pain, and soft tissue injuries by increasing blood flow and reducing pain.

However, when it comes to fractures, ultrasound is not typically recognized as an effective treatment modality. Fractures involve a break in the bone, and while ultrasound can sometimes aid in the assessment of soft tissue surrounding a fracture, it does not directly facilitate the healing of bone tissue in the way that other treatments such as casting, surgical fixation, or the application of other modalities might. Therefore, recognizing that fractures require entirely different management strategies is key to understanding why ultrasound is ineffective in this context.