Segment Therapy: The Effects of Ultrasound and Benzocaine Spray in the Treatment of Contractures and Spasticity

Abstract: According to Krusen's Handbook of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, topical application of ultrasound exerts only an indirect and adjunctive effect as deep-heat treatment. In support of this idea the extensibility of an isolated tendon in a heated water bath is described. The significance of this experiment as a biological phenomenon has never been critically examined. In this article the existence of a segmental reflex is proposed. Such a segmental paradigm is in keeping with the segmental organization and evolution of the locomotor system. lt is further suggested that ultrasound and related therapy, if applied segmentally, may have a curative effect.

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