How Dr. Obispo uses Lumify in his sports and rehabilitation medicine practice

“The moment I realized I wanted to become a physiatrist, was when I was choosing my specialty. I wanted to do something with sports medicine and decided to become a physical medicine and rehabilitation practitioner. Besides general physiatry, I spend a majority of my practice on musculoskeletal and neurology conditions. Our goal as physiatrists is to help maximize the functional capacity of our patients regardless of condition or disability in order for them to become more self-reliant and aware of their own capabilities, thus managing and improving their current state of health.

Physical therapy aims to help patients maintain, recover and improve physical ability that may be impaired due to a condition or injury. A year ago, we opened ‘Focus Athletics’ inside a mall in Muntinlupa, Philippines, and the concept we had for our mall-based clinic is a one-stop shop for anyone looking not only for physical training programs and physical therapy services, but also medical consultations and surgical procedures. During my practice, I often treat patients who suffered a stroke, had traumatic injury and those experiencing pain.

A majority of our patients suffer from lower back pain from sedentary lifestyle. We also see many patients who suffer from degenerative osteoarthritis or joint diseases, as well as occupational cumulative trauma and sports injuries. This is why I’ve made musculoskeletal and pain management my main practice and area of specialty. Lumify enables me to effectively engage my patient along the journey for triage, diagnosis, treatment and recovery. I believe that ultrasound scanning with Lumify is a unique and exciting experience not only for the patients, but to the clinician as well.

I like to use the Lumify as a diagnostic tool to examine a variety of pathologies, and it includes patients who experience muscle tears, ligament tears, tendinosis, synovitis and bursitis. Occasionally, I would meet patients who have lipomas and bone fractures, which Lumify ultrasound can detect as well. I see many patients who experience inadequate relief from persistent pain that can be caused by nerve hypersensitivity, where a nerve is firing pain signals without the presence of tissue pathology. In order for diagnosis, I would perform a diagnostic block called ‘hydro-dissection’ or ‘hydro-release’, by injecting saline or dextrose-5% solution outside the nerve sheath (epineurium). If the patient no longer experiences pain, the hypersensitive nerve is confirmed and we continue to treat them with these injections. The advantage of using Lumify for this diagnosis and treatment is that it frees both the patient and clinician from doing the procedure in the confines of the operating room or consultation room, while enjoying the same image quality and needle placement visibility of a console unit.

As an advocate of 'exercise is medicine', I strongly believe that in order for my patients to recover well, they need to be active. We use ultrasound as a form of biofeedback where the patient is guided on the proper timing of muscle contraction and relaxation, as well as in performing neuro dynamics. By combining ultrasound with physiotherapy, our patients can develop a clearer and better visual understanding of their own musculoskeletal system, thereby improving patient engagement while carrying out their exercises.

New technology has always excited me. The first time I was finally able to try out Lumify was during a medical conference for healthcare professionals in August of 2018. Along with the other attendees, I was teaching at that conference, I was instantly amazed by Lumify’s versatility and image quality despite its compact design. Because medical needs happen in real time, physicians recognize the limitations we might face in our ability to perform ultrasound examinations across multiple clinical settings. With this mobile ultrasound solution, physicians like myself are given the freedom to define what an exam room can be.

Over time, I’ve explored and learned firsthand how the versatility of Lumify is designed to fit into our practice and we are no longer limited by the confines of the clinic. From making rounds in the hospital wards, to community scanning events and home visits, I can count on the adaptability of the Lumify to deliver immediate and high-quality ultrasound imaging in any place or situation. This has completely changed the way we deliver care to our patients.

Lumify is the world’s first app-based ultrasound system, designed to emulate the simplicity of use and installation of mobile applications. This unique feature allows us to tap into the technologies of third-party developers of smartphones, mobile devices and apps, to build upon that ultrasound ecosystem and extending the reach and benefits of ultrasound across the healthcare continuum. As healthcare is becoming more accessible and innovative, I can foresee ultrasound replacing the stethoscope as the handiest tool the clinician can carry in their pocket, as well becoming a teaching tool for many medical students and healthcare professionals to come. As we work towards providing our patients the care experience they need, patients can now stay at their point-of-care area to receive scanning, diagnosis and treatment in one place.”