Joint and Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow

It shows the soft parts around a joint: tendons, which attach muscle to bone, and ligaments, which hold bones together. It also shows muscles, the fluid-filled cushions called bursae, fluid inside the joint, and lumps under the skin. It is clearest for structures close to the surface.

The scan can show a tendon that is swollen, thickened, partly torn or fully torn. It can show fluid in the knee or hip, a swollen bursa, a Baker's cyst behind the knee, a ganglion on the wrist, or a lipoma. It can also pick up a wooden splinter or thorn that an X-ray can miss.

The radiologist can compare with your other side. Colour Doppler can show the extra blood flow in inflamed tissue when that helps.

Doctors ask for it when the question is about soft tissue. Here are the usual problems by area.

• Shoulder pain, especially lifting the arm: the rotator cuff tendons, the bursa and the biceps tendon.
• Knee swelling or pain: fluid in the joint, the tendons above and below the kneecap, and a Baker's cyst. The menisci and cruciate ligaments are better seen on MRI.
• Heel pain on the first steps in the morning, or pain at the back of the ankle: the plantar fascia under the foot, and the Achilles tendon.
• Pain on the outer or inner side of the elbow: the tendon attachments, as in tennis or golfer's elbow.
• Wrist or hand: numb fingers, a lump, or a finger that catches: the nerve at the carpal tunnel, tendon sheaths and ganglion cysts.
• A muscle tear after sport, such as the hamstring or calf: the size of the tear and any collection of blood.
• A lump in the soft tissue: whether it is fluid, fat or solid, and how close it lies to vessels and nerves.

A scan is for looking. An injection into a joint or tendon under ultrasound guidance is a separate procedure, covered on our pain injection page, and needs its own medical advice and booking.

Ultrasound can watch a joint work. The radiologist may ask you to lift your arm, bend your knee or straighten your fingers while the probe stays on the area. A shoulder tendon that catches against bone as you raise the arm, a tendon that snaps over a bony edge, or a lump that moves with a muscle may only show this way.

The movements are gentle and kept within what you can manage. Tell the radiologist when something hurts. The sore spot, and the position that brings it on, are both useful. Moving the joint is used where it helps. It is not part of every scan.

The three tests see different things. An X-ray shows bone: fractures, wear in a joint, alignment and calcium deposits. Ultrasound shows soft tissue near the surface: tendons, fluid, lumps and bursae. MRI shows deeper structures, such as menisci, cruciate ligaments and cartilage, in more detail than ultrasound can.

Doctors often start with an X-ray after an injury or for pain in an older joint. They add ultrasound when the question is about a tendon, fluid or a lump. Our centre has no MRI scanner. If your doctor advises one, ask where to have it done. Our team can review the images later, alongside an ultrasound if you need one.