IACER Srl
7
MNPG71-06
How to use
Introduction to the technology
The
sound
is given by a body vibration whose oscillation propagates in the air
with a certain frequency and reaches the human ear. The number of
oscillations (or pressure variations) per second is called sound frequency,
measurable in cycles per second,
Hertz (Hz)
. For example, the human
auditory field goes from 20Hz up to 20,000Hz. The wavelength, on the other
hand, represents the space covered by the sound wave in a complete period
of oscillation.
Ultrasounds
are mechanical sound waves, whose frequencies are higher than
those normally heard by a human ear. For years the mechanical waves of
ultrasounds, specially generated through piezoelectric materials, used in
various sectors of industry. In particular, the study of ultrasound wave
propagation in humans has allowed the construction of eco-diagnostic
medical instruments that have long been used in gynecology,
gastroenterology, angiology and cardiology; these technologies in fact exploit
the return echo deriving from an ultrasonic beam which propagates inside the
human body and which is slowed down in a different way depending on the
different anatomical structures it encounters.
Research has however shown that ultrasounds cause different biologic
effects, precisely because of the different impedance characteristic of the
various tissues. Among these effects, the
thermal effect
is the most known
and is the one who first has determined the use of ultrasounds in
orthopedics, physiatrist and sport medicine with
pain relief function
and in
aesthetic field for
localized fat deposits
and
cellulite
treatment.
The thermal effect consists in the
propagation of heat realized by the beam
of ultrasonic waves: by penetrating in the
biological tissues, the waves lose energy
and yield it to the system they pass
through; this energy transferred is
converted into heat with a significant
increase in local temperature, especially
at interface level between tissues with
different
acoustic
impedance
(e.g.
bone/soft
tissue),
and
with
a
consequence increasing of the micro-
