MSKU-1: Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Ultrasound of the Upper Extremities

Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (MSKU) is an evidence-based, cost efficient, imaging modality. MSKU has diagnostic accuracy comparable to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for common soft tissue pathology, including enthesopathy, tendinopathy, ligament pathology, joint pathology, and compressive neuropathies of the upper extremity.  Licensed healthcare professionals including physical therapists (PT), medical doctors (MD), osteopathic doctors (DO), Chiropractors (DC), physician assistants (PA) and nurse practitioners (NP) meet the educational requirements to practice MSKU and work towards the prerequisites needed to sit for the national registry exam in musculoskeletal sonography (RMSK).

This two-day live diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound course includes 70% hands-on practical training and 30% didactic instruction. This course focuses on the essential components of diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound of the upper extremities. Both normal anatomy and pathology of the upper extremity will be covered. Participants will perform diagnostic ultrasound on the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand. Both normal anatomy and pathology of specific tissues will be addressed in detail. This course does include but is not limited to tissue specific diagnoses of the upper extremity, including rotator cuff tendinopathy, biceps tendon pathologies, subacromial bursitis, labral pathology, lateral/medial epicondylalgia, collateral ligament pathology, tenosynovitis, osteoarthritis, radial tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Lecture and live demonstrations with expert sonographers, using state of the art equipment, are utilized to prepare the participant for extensive hands-on scanning during the laboratory sessions. The upper and lower extremity courses (MSKU-1 & 2) combined with the Physics in MSK ultrasound (MSKU-3) and RMSK Registry Exam Preparation & Review courses are designed to successfully prepare the participant for the national RMSK registry exam.