ultrasound treatment on face creating pain behind the eyes?

[jmac18]

About 3 weeks ago i received an elbow to the face while playing netball. It was in a down ward action on my cheek bone just below the eye. There is now a lump you can feel when its touched and a dint when i smile. I've had a CT scan and has come back clear with no fractures and the Dr has referred me to a physio for ultrasound and light massage to try remove the lump.
I had my first treatment for it the other day at around 8.30am and for the rest of the day until i fell asleep that night (11.30pm) had aches behind both eyes. It almost felt as though it went from one temple to the other and was a constant pain.. I'm wondering whether this is a reaction to the ultra sound and if its normal?
Also i found that when the ultrasound was moved to the lower part of my cheek it was affecting the nerves in my gums, its was very painful and was almost like a tight pulling sensation. This would also come back during the day tho not quite as painful and not for long... is that normal aswell? - I'm assuming this part isn't?

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[gcoe]

Presumably the lump is a haematoma - a lump of congealed blood, where you bled at the time of the blow, with some swelling due to inflammation. The theory behind the ultrasound is to stimulate the circulation and speed up reabsorption of the haematoma.

The pain behind the eyes after the treatment- could be for a number of reasons, or it could have been coincidence. If it is due to the US is likely to be harmless but given the delicateness of the face I would be a bit weary of the experience

The pain in the gums while the therapist moves the US head over the lower part of the cheek may be due to standing waves bouncing off the jaw bone, teeth, fillings etc. Utrasound waves pass through liquids and solids and not air. When there is an interfaces between a liquid and solid (eg flesh of the cheek (liquid) and a tooth (solid) you get these standing waves as some of the ultrasound energy is absorbed and some of the energy bounces back - much as sound waves might bounce off a wall. This can be extremely unpleasant and should be avoided - although it is unlikely to do real harm. The face has so many irregular bones and interfaces that it is quite hard for the therapist not to give you these side affects.

Ultrasound is has not been shown to be a very effective treatment for these sorts of problems in clinical trials.

Personally if I were you and was having the sorts of problems you were experiencing with the treatment I would decline the ultrasound. I might feel differently if the treatment was shown to be effective. However as it isn't shown to be effective and as it is causing you discomfort I can't see the point. Alternatives are ice and heat and massage. The physio can often show you how to do these treatments yourself.

Why don't you talk to your physio about it and about alternative treatment.

[jmac18]

Thanks for that.
I wanted to find another opinion before having another treatment of it... the lump is slowly getting smaller, the Dr says it could take up to eight weeks but the ultrasound scared me a little. I have had it before though not on my face and never had a lasting reaction and also wasn't sure if it was coincidence.
I might talk to my physio about alternative treatments.