The Foot Ultrasound Scan

Musculoskeletal ultrasonography is a very powerful diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of a wide array of foot and ankle problems such tendinosis, tenosynovitis, paratendinitis, rupture, dislocation, ligaments that are commonly torn, plantar fasciitis, Morton's neuroma, stress fractures, and plantar plate injury.

Sports and overuse injuries of the ankle and foot are common and ultrasound has been established as an excellent diagnostic modality for foot and ankle pathologies, providing a rapid noninvasive examination tool that is well tolerated by the patient with acute or chronic pain. The opportunity for dynamic examination is another advantage of ultrasound in evaluating ankle and foot pathology, where manoeuvres such as muscle contraction and stressing of the joint may be particularly helpful.

What is the purpose of this scan?

The purpose of this foot ultrasound scan is to assess major the structures in the foot joint

Tendons
Tendons Sheaths
bursa
Ligaments

Reasons for having a foot scan include:

Pain
Reduced Movement
Tear
Discomfort
Inflammation
Plantar Fascitis
Plantar Fibroma
Mortons Neuroma
Tumours, Cancers
Foreign bodies
Soft tissue masses such as ganglia, lipomas
Bursitis or capsulitis of the joints
Ligament injuries
Tendonitis or tendon tears
Heel spurs
Tarsal tunnel syndrome
Muscular damage (chronic and acute)
Joint effusions
Vascular pathology
Haematomas
Classification of a mass eg solid, cystic, mixed
Post-surgical complications eg abscess, oedema
Some bony pathology such as arthritis.

Preparation

No preparation is necessary for this scan.

What should I expect during the ultrasound scan?

Before the ultrasound scan, our sonographer will explain the examination procedure. You will be asked to remove your shoe and sock and lie on the bed. A small amount of gel will be placed on your foot and the probe will be moved in different directions. You may also be asked to move your foot during the scanning so that the sonographer can look at the affected area while it is in motion.
During and after the examination our sonographer will explain the findings and an ultrasound report will be issued to take away with you.

About the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Ultrasound Scan

Pain and reduced movement are common problems associated with all our joints. Ultrasound is regularly employed to examine the musculoskeletal system (MSK) as it provides much-needed information about the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and soft tissue in the body.

An ultrasound scan will help in diagnosis of tendon tears, such as tears of the rotator cuff in the shoulder or Achilles tendon in the ankle, abnormalities of the muscles, such as tears and soft-tissue masses, bleeding or other fluid collections within the muscles or damage to the major joints for common problems such as arthritis, tendinitis, bursitis, fluid in the joints, carpal tunnel syndrome etc..