A George Mason University bioengineer has developed a wearable ultrasound system that can detect immediately if that twinge or tweak in your back or shoulder that you got in physical rehab is a muscular or skeletal injury or not.

It does so by using ultrasonic monitoring through a skin patch, and could provide real-time information on muscle tissues during a workout.

Millions of people suffer from musculoskeletal injuries every year, and the recovery process can often be long and difficult.

During the following slow rehabilitation, medical professionals routinely evaluate a patient's progress via a series of tasks and exercises. However, because of the dynamic nature of these exercises, obtaining a clear picture of real-time muscle function is extremely challenging.

Then there's the period after rehab—which is sometimes even more difficult—where the recovered doesn't feel any discomfort or pain but is still hesitant to trust the same movements that triggered their injury in the first place.

Parag Chitnis of George Mason University led a team that developed this new wearable ultrasound system that can produce clinically relevant information about muscle function during dynamic physical activity.

Many medical technologies can give doctors a window into the inner workings of a patient's body, but few can be used while that patient is moving. Parag's monitor can move with the patient and provide an unprecedented level of insight into body dynamics.