Washington, Feb 18 2010: A biomedical engineering graduate student at Cornell University has created a miniature ultrasound device that could one day introduce a whole new level of home therapy for arthritis, injury and other painful ailments. The innovative ultrasound device, which can be easily fit in one's pocket, may soon be used to relieve pain, cure injures or arthritis just at the comfort of your home. George K. Lewis’ sleek blue-and-white device slips into a pocket and sends ultrasound waves deep into muscles via a coin-sized polystyrene pad.
This is the transducer, which converts electrical energy into ultrasound.
Lewis hopes that this model - possibly the world’s smallest ultrasound device - can hit the marketplace and find itself in the pockets of millions of people.
Ultrasound is often used to relieve muscle and joint pain but requires patients to receive treatments in doctors’ and physical therapists’ offices.
Lewis’ mini-machine would allow people to receive such treatment at home and work.
Lewis’ latest prototype sends low-intensity energy in the form of ultrasound waves from the transducer into the body, which is gentle enough to be kept close to the skin for up to 10 hours.
The mini ultrasound can well be used at home to relieve muscle or joint pain without the necessity to visit doctor's office. This will be especially useful for older people, because pain relief drugs are not always suitable for them because of the increased risk of negative outcomes.
Lewis gets ready for the first clinical trial that studies the effectiveness of the device on the osteoarthritis patients. This will be the first step towards the FDA approval, Lewis says. He says that in future the mini ultrasound device can be used to treat muscles pain and even to deliver medicines.
The study is supported by the National Science Foundation.
The study is supported by the National Science Foundation.
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