From the April 23, 1991 GLOBE tabloid.
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Sound Machine Heals Broken Bones
Broken bones heal with lightning speed thanks to a revolutionary new
device that bombards the body with low-intensity sound waves. Arm
and leg casts can be taken off up to a month earlier than usual by
patients who use the amazing ultrasound module for 20 minutes a day
at home.
“X-rays definitely show a significant acceleration of fracture
healing when ultrasound is used,” says Dr. Thomas Kristiansen, an
associate professor of orthopedics at the University of Vermont
College of Medicine in Burlington.
The module is attached by a cord to a lunchbox-size transformer that
plugs into a wall socket. The round, 1 & 1/2 inch diameter head is
inserted into an opening in the cast and placed against the skin
above the fracture.
The experimental treatment is still under study by the Food and Drug
Adminstration. If it’s ultimately approved, the 1.7 million
Americans who suffer arm and leg fractures every year could benefit
in other ways, too, researchers say.
“It would do a lot more than just rid them of cumbersome casts
sooner,” says Dr. James Heckman, chairman of the Department of
Orthopedics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San
Antonio. “Their medical expenses would also be less, and they could
return to work sooner.”