Blocked Milk Duct

A blocked duct happens when milk fails to be removed from a specific area in the ducts, which can cause:

• Tenderness
• Redness
• Localized lump in the breast

If left untreated, it can lead to mastitis, an infection in the breast.

Therapeutic Ultrasound

Recent research supports the use of therapeutic ultrasound as an effective treatment for blocked milk ducts. If you’ve been to physical therapy before, you may have had therapeutic ultrasound on your sore arm, leg or back. We can use the same ultrasound to treat clogged ducts in the breast. We target the sound waves to hit the blockage and provide a gentle “massage” to the affected tissues. This is intended to open the blocked space and allow milk to flow through, once again.

If you’ve ever suffered from a blocked milk duct you know how painful and stressful this can be for a nursing mother. Did you know that we can use therapeutic ultrasound (a conservative treatment that delivers ultrasonic waves with some slight heat) to treat stubborn blocked ducts in nursing moms?

After treatment, it’s always best if the mom can pump or nurse immediately following the ultrasound- so feel free to bring your baby to treatment!