In counterstrain, you relax the muscle by placing the tender point in a position of ease and holding it long enough for the body's reflexes to reset. The typical duration is about 90 seconds. That interval gives time for the muscle spindle–mediated reflex to reduce hypertonicity and for the tissues to soften, so tenderness diminishes when you recheck. Holding for only a short time, like around 30 or 60 seconds, may not provide enough of a reflex response to produce lasting relaxation. Much longer than necessary isn’t usually needed and can cause unnecessary discomfort. After roughly 90 seconds, you slowly return to a neutral position and reassess the point to confirm improvement in texture and motion.

The main idea here is penetration versus resolution. Lower frequencies penetrate deeper, while higher frequencies provide better detail but don’t go as far. The curvilinear probe uses a curved array with a lower frequency range and a large footprint, which gives you good penetration and a wide field of view. That combination makes it ideal for imaging deeper structures like the abdominal organs (liver, kidneys, pancreas) where you need to see through several centimeters of tissue. The other probes fit different needs: the linear probe uses higher frequencies for sharp, detailed images but only at shallow depths; the phased array probe has a small footprint and is great for focused, deep work like the heart but isn’t as suited for wide, deep imaging of large areas; the endocavitary probe is designed for internal cavities and uses higher frequencies for good resolution over shallow depths.

Normal blood pressure means both numbers stay below their respective cutoffs: systolic under 120 and diastolic under 80. The threshold used to define normal is 120/80, so readings below that on both values are considered normal. Higher values indicate elevated or hypertensive ranges, not normal. A number like 110/70 would also be normal because it's below the threshold, but the standard cutoff being tested is 120/80.

Hyperechoic means high echogenicity: a structure reflects more ultrasound waves than the surrounding tissue, so the image appears brighter. This occurs with dense or highly reflective tissues like bone, calcifications, or certain fibrous tissues. By contrast, anechoic structures produce no echoes and look black, while hypoechoic structures are darker than surrounding tissue. Isoechoic would have similar brightness to surrounding tissue. So hyperechoic describes a bright image.