September 5, 2018 — Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas recently provided ultrasound systems for The American Academy for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s (AAPM&R) course “Next Step Interventional Ultrasound: Hands-On PM&R Applications. The course is one component of the AAPM&R STEP Ultrasound Certificate Program, which is a multi-tiered training program that teaches and assesses musculoskeletal (MSK) and neurologic ultrasound skills using a progressive, competency-based curriculum.
Participants move through a series of three STEPs in diagnostic and interventional ultrasound that includes online lectures and tests, hands-on courses, hands-on skills assessment at the Annual Assembly and more. For most physiatrists, the pathway to the STEP certificate will take approximately one year to complete. The program offers more than 50 American Medical Association Physician’s Recognition Award (AMA PRA) Category 1 Credits and meets the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABMPR) Maintenance of Certification requirements.
The AAPM&R course was held Aug. 24-25 at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago, and included didactic and hands-on curriculum.
“Ultrasound training varies considerably, and AAPM&R wanted to provide a centralized, standardized method of training for excellence in ultrasound,” said John C. Cianca, M.D., FAAPMR, chair of AAPM&R’s Ultrasound Task Force and Medical Education Committee member. “The program is focused on providing comprehensive competency-based training that will further distinguish our members as leading professionals in interventional and MSK ultrasound. We are grateful for the in-kind support of Konica Minolta Healthcare, providing Sonimage HS1, an advanced ultrasound system that will help attendees of the interventional course quickly and efficiently learn MSK ultrasound.”
The use of diagnostic and interventional ultrasound for musculoskeletal disorders is essential in the field of physiatry. Ultrasound is an important diagnostic tool for soft tissue pathology and there is also growing interest for ultrasound-guided interventions, such as aspiration, infiltrations and injections. Ultrasound enables the real-time imaging of the target and the needle as well as surrounding structures such as vessels and nerves.
Sonimage HS1 delivers superior image quality and needle visualization to support rapid, confident decisions at the point-of-care. A simplified eight-button console and intuitive touch screen combine with focused MSK exam presets to minimize the learning curve. Enhanced signal penetration, increased color flow sensitivity and improved resolution deliver detailed tissue differentiation, enabling clinicians to detect structures as small as several hundred microns. In conjunction with beam-steering technology, the HS1 System incorporates an advanced algorithm that utilizes both the in-plane and the out-of-plane methods to improve needle visibility, especially in steep angle approaches. The resulting clarity of the needle enables increased accuracy in needle placement, making the portable system an ideal solution for pain management guided injections.
For more information: www.konicaminolta.com/medicalusa
October 27, 2025 
