A new German study found that ultrasound pulses can greatly accelerate fracture healing. Delayed “healing” occurs in about 4.4 percent of tibial fractures. Researchers experimented with this therapy in a number of patients with tibial fractures that had not healed after four months. Of the 100 subjects, half received ultrasound therapy and the other half were treated with a “fake” device. After 16 weeks, the patients who received the “real” treatment healed faster and increased the bone density of the injury by 34%. The therapy, called “low-intensity pulsed ultrasound,” was administered through a small transmitter connected to a handheld controller. The treatment was administered for 20 minutes a day for the duration of the study. The researchers said, “The results of this study showed that bone healing in subjects with delayed tibial healing was greatly accelerated after receiving this therapy compared to not receiving low-intensity pulsed ultrasound therapy. This should help confirm this non-invasive therapy as a viable and effective treatment option for such patients.