Last updated: September 2026

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Diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound lets rehabilitation providers evaluate soft tissue during movement — something static imaging like MRI can't do. Ultrasound has comparable accuracy to MRI for many musculoskeletal disorders at the fraction of the cost and with less inconvenience for the patient. It can be done in the office in a matter of minutes while providing information that cannot be discerned from physical examination alone. It also allows objective, repeatable monitoring of tissue changes throughout a course of rehabilitation while opening up other treatment possibilities. It is particularly helpful for needling, and allows for targeted tendon or perineural needling while enhancing patient safety. It is truly one of the most game changing skills an outpatient musculoskeletal specialist can learn.

 

​Self-Paced Online Diagnostic Ultrasound Training

This self-paced online course teaches musculoskeletal diagnostic ultrasound for physical therapists, chiropractors, athletic trainers, and other rehabilitation providers, covering upper and lower extremity applications.

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Quick facts:

• Self-paced, online, learn from home

• Covers upper and lower extremity musculoskeletal ultrasound for $799; this is excellent value for a comprehensive musculoskeletal ultrasound course

• Includes ultrasound knobology and physics fundamentals

• Includes needle guidance basics

• Covers anatomy, scan technique, and scanning protocols by region

• Includes real-world case discussion from physical therapy practice with pathoanatomical examples

• First module is free to preview- three lectures designed to address frequently asked questions to help get you started

• Not an RMSK prep course, but supports RMSK certification training

• Scanning labs for hands-on feedback are planned for the future

• Real-world application — how diagnostic ultrasound is used in an actual physical therapy practice

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Comprehensive Upper & Lower Extremity Curriculum​

• Module 1 Introduction to MSK Ultrasound

  • Information regarding equipment/training options and how ultrasound fits in rehabilitation practice 

• Module 2: Knobology and Physics

  • ​The ultrasound machine fundamentals needed before scanning

• Module 3: Knee

  • Knee sonographic anatomy including the tendons, bursa, ligaments, and menisci of the knee

  • Scan demonstration and scanning protocol to guide hands on practice

  • Relevant pathology including meniscus tears, ligament sprains, and tendinopathy along with less common conditions such as PVNS

  • Dynamic assessments for conditions such as IT band friction syndrome

• Module 4: Shoulder​

  • Shoulder sonographic anatomy including the rotator cuff, labrum, AC joint, long head biceps, and coracohumeral ligament​

  • Scan demonstration and scanning protocol to guide hands on practice

  • Relevant pathology including rotator cuff tears, long head biceps tendinopathy, labral tears, joint effusion, and adhesive capsulitis

  • Dynamic assessments for conditions such as subcoracoid or subacromial impingement

• Module 5: Needle Guidance​

  • Summary of ultrasound guided needling applications

  • Clean technique instruction

  • Out of plane and in plane needle technique instruction to allow those with prior palpation based dry needling to apply ultrasound guided needling to clinical practice

• Module 6: Ankle​​

  • Ankle sonographic anatomy including the talocrural joint, nerves, tendons, ligaments, plantar fascia, and bursa around the foot and ankle

  • Scan demonstration and scanning protocol to guide hands on practice

  • Relevant pathology including ankle sprains, high ankle sprains, and Achilles/peroneal/posterior tibialis tendinopathy with additional information about less common conditions such as gout

  • Dynamic assessments for conditions such as peroneal tendon dislocations

• Module 7: Elbow

  • Elbow sonographic anatomy including the olecranon recess, nerves, tendons, and ligaments around the elbow

  • Scan demonstration and scanning protocol to guide hands on practice

  • Relevant pathology including lateral and medial elbow tendinopathy, cubital tunnel syndrome, triceps tendinopathy, and distal biceps tendinopathy

  • Dynamic assessments for conditions such as ulnar nerve dislocation

• Module 8: Wrist/Hand

  • Wrist sonographic anatomy including the radiocarpal joint recess, dorsal and volar wrist tendons, nerves, and ligaments

  • Scan demonstration and scanning protocol to guide hands on practice

  • Relevant pathology including carpal tunnel syndrome, tenosynovitis, ganglion cysts, and trigger finger

  • Dynamic assessments for conditions such as dorsal scapholunate ligament sprains

• Module 9: Hip

  • Hip sonographic anatomy including the anterior labrum and hip joint recess, nerves, and tendons about the hip​

  • Scan demonstration and scanning protocol to guide hands on practice

  • Relevant pathology including hamstring tears, gluteal tendinopathy, bursitis, and lateral femoral cutaneous nerve entrapments

  • Dynamic assessments for conditions such as snapping hip syndrome

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Learn From a RMSK Certified Clinical Specialist

The course is taught by Ross Eckstein, PT, DPT, OCS, RMSK, CSCS. Ross has 10 years of experience in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy practice and over five years of diagnostic ultrasound experience. He has been RMSK certified for nearly four years and has taught musculoskeletal diagnostic ultrasound at the university level. He has also been involved in developing online educational content for years at Specialized Clinician and formerly at Therapy Insights. 

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Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Course FAQs

Is diagnostic ultrasound as accurate as MRI for musculoskeletal conditions?

 

Ultrasound becomes more accurate the more skilled and experienced a user gets. For certain conditions — such as full-thickness supraspinatus tears — diagnostic ultrasound has shown accuracy comparable to MRI (see here https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23259671211035106

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It is also useful for many other soft tissue conditions such as, tendinosis, ligament sprains, and meniscus tears. It is particularly helpful for peripheral nerve entrapments, and has comparable accuracy compared to nerve conduction studies for conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome (see here https://www.cureus.com/articles/120054-a-comparative-analysis-between-ultrasound-and-electromyographic-and-nerve-conduction-studies-in-diagnosing-carpal-tunnel-syndrome-cts-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis#!/). 

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Who is this course designed for?

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Physical therapists, chiropractors, athletic trainers, and other rehabilitation providers who want to learn musculoskeletal diagnostic ultrasound.​

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Can I try the course before buying?

 

Yes. The first module is free and includes three videos. These cover how musculoskeletal ultrasound can impact rehabilitation practice, what to consider when buying a machine, other training options, and certification pathways. See the three links at the bottom of the page to access these lectures. 

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Does this course prepare me for the RMSK exam?

 

It is not designed explicitly as an RMSK prep course. It can, however, supplement RMSK certification training as it covers much of the content that would be relevant for the exam.

 

Specialized Clinician also offers a separate full-length RMSK practice exam.

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Does this course include practice quizzes or knowledge checks? 

 

​Yes! The program features 79 integrated quiz questions strategically placed throughout the modules. These questions verify your pathology recognition and knobology skills before you advance to the next joint section.

 

Are the 79 quiz quesitons the same as the standalone RMSK practice test offered by Specialized Clinician?

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No. The 70 integrated quiz questions included in this course are completely independent from our comprehensive, standalone RMSK Practice Test. The course quizzes are short module knowledge checks designed to verify your anatomy and knobology retention as you move through the chapters. Our full-length practice test is a separate, highly rigorous exam-day simulation tailored specifically for official board preparation.

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Do I need prior ultrasound experience to take this course?

 

The course covers knobology and physics fundamentals from the start, so no prior ultrasound experience is assumed.

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Is hands-on scanning practice included?

 

Not yet — scanning labs for hands-on feedback are planned as a future addition that can be added on optionally. The current course is self-paced video instruction.

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Where and how is the course taken?

 

Online, self-paced, at home, on your own schedule.

 

Are there subscription fees, and am I limited in how long I have access to the course? 

 

You have lifetime access to the course and can watch/refer to it as many times as you like. 

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Will I receive physical therapy CEUs for this ultrasound course?​

Not yet. This is in progress but the course will be fully approved for physical therapy CEUs in the future.