I am formally requesting that someone comfortable with the applicable knowledge base start a new thread that lays out a practical guide to beginning an ultrasound protocol, with limited theory, where any abbreviations are immediately laid out, and no math other than that which one is practically required to perform oneself (such as to determine one’s own ideal strain/stress point). These threads are a treasure, but they are so incredibly vast and so incredibly dense that they have lost a large portion of their utility. This might be a result of some sort of dyslexia or something but using the search function at this point to try to get to the origin or explanation of any one particular aspect of a comprehensive Ultrasound protocol has become nearly impossible (for me), as the search results yield now hundreds of posts on any particular topic (it should not take hours of searching to get to the explanation of what a phantom is, or a simple explanation of its necessity). It’s been too long, and if I may be blunt, offering a piecemeal understanding of any protocol can be dangerous (as a vague but certainly extreme parallel/analogy see the “banding my penis” thread, in which a poster accidentally castrated himself).
I understand that much of the optimization of this protocol is incomplete and that we are still arriving at a comprehensive theoretically sound approach to a US protocol, but I believe that it is possible to acknowledge where those variables may lay in a practical outline.
I would love to volunteer to write it, but my understanding of the protocol, even after sifting through these threads for so long is incomplete, convoluted and confused by the sheer volume of extremely dense (but certainly appreciated and extremely valuable) theory, as well as certain grammatical and language obstacles. I would be happy to type out a draft and submit it for editing to those who can fill in the sizeable gaps in my knowledge, but it will be more of a skeleton, despite the fact that I have already been utilizing ultrasound already for some time! I know for a fact that I am not the only one doing so with an non-comprehensive understanding of how to construct my own protocol.
Is there anybody up for this?
Something like
-Ultrasound Extension 101-
1. Instruction for Determining Strain/Stress and how that information is used (something I have not ever been able to find via the search function)
2. Device List (necessary US device specs with one or two examples, gel, extender/hanger, phantom and very brief layperson description of why each spec is important such as continuous US and minimum power requirement)
3. Outline of designing a safe routine/schedule, acknowledging where there is room for variability in terms of frequency, duration, rest days, and where there appear to be necessary safety observations.
4. Potential Danger Vectors (such as >45C temperatures, cavitation, tissue toughening/fibrosis, hanging/extension injuries, etc.)
Hope this doesn’t come across as ungrateful or combative. I am a big fan of this area of exploration, and very grateful for those pioneering it and sharing their theories and findings.