Patient Information

Musculoskeletal ultrasound is very similar to other diagnostic ultrasound, but it is primarily focused on evaluating joints and adjacent structures such as ligaments, tendons, tendon sheets, tendon pulleys, tendinous-muscle junctions, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels.

• Pain, swelling and /or tenderness in or around any joint
• Overuse and repetitive tendon and muscle injuries
• Arthritis
• Gout
• Shoulder pain / rotator cuff damage
• Elbow pain / “tennis or golfer’s” elbow
• Heel pain /Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis
• Knee pain / “runners or jumpers” knee, bursitis
• Wrist pain
• Tendinitis
• Tendon and muscle rupture
• Ligament injuries
• Bursitis
• Foreign bodies
• Carpal tunnel and other nerve entrapment

If you have known arthritic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, pseudogout, or osteoarthritis, ultrasound can help to check how much inflammation and joint damage you have, and whether treatment is working effectively.

Ultrasound helps to guide diagnostic aspiration / taps of joints which increases accuracy of the procedure and helps to minimizes discomfort.

To Schedule an Appointment for musculoskeletal / joint ultrasound with Dr. Arnold Ceponis, please call:
Perlman Ambulatory Care Center, Suite 2B - La Jolla
858-657-6110
Medical Offices South - Hillcrest
619-543-6248

Ultrasound guidance is used to accurately deliver drugs, commonly steroids and viscous supplements (“joint lubricants”), in or around joints for the treatment of following conditions:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Gout
• Tendinitis due to repetitive / overuse injuries
• Shoulder pain / impingement
• Tennis and golfers elbow
• Bursitis
• Trigger finger
• Pain around hip, elbow, knee, ankle joints with or without preceding trauma
• Carpal tunnel and symptoms due to other nerve entrapment

To Schedule an Appointment for musculoskeletal / joint ultrasound with Dr. Arnold Ceponis, please call:
Perlman Ambulatory Care Center, Suite 2B - La Jolla
858-657-6110
Medical Offices South - Hillcrest
619-543-6248

Ultrasound examination is painless and fast. Depending on the extent of examination and procedure, it takes 15 to 30 minutes to complete. You will be position on the examination table or a chair. It is advised that you wear light clothing. We will provide medical gown in cases when exposure and examination of other body side will be needed for comparison purposes. A clear water based gel will be applied to the ultrasound transducer to eliminate any air between your skin and the transducer. Ultrasound probe will be swept back and forth over and around the area of interest, and you may be asked to perform different maneuvers for dynamic examination to better characterize function of different structures such as tendons, ligament and muscles. If transducer is moved over a tender area you may feel slight discomfort which will help examiner to pinpoint and better visualize area of concern. Result and findings are often discussed during or immediately after the examination. After ultrasound examination the ultrasound gel is easily removed with clean cloth or water, and you will be able to resume your normal activities immediately.