Analyse the rehabilitation procedures an athlete should use one week after experiencing a soft tissue injury PDF

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Essay on sports medicine topic of the PDHPE syllabus...

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Analyse the rehabilitation procedures an athlete should use one week after experiencing a soft tissue injury. (12 marks) To ensure an athlete can return to play as soon as possible following a hamstring injury, a a variety of rehabilitation processes should be implemented in order to reduce the pain the athlete is in and prevent reinjury from occurring. These processes include progressive mobilisation, graduated exercise, training and the use of hot and cold and should be used one week after the injury. Firstly, progressive mobilisation involves gradually extending the range of movement through which the injured part can be manipulated. In conjunction with RICER, it involves active movement by the athlete and passive movement exercises by the physiotherapist to slowly expose the recovering tissues to increased range. For example, the athlete suffering from a hamstring injury may decide to go for a walk one day and gradually move up to a brisk walk or light jog during days 4-7. As a result, preventing the athlete's stiff joints and tight muscles by gradually exercising his hamstring. Hence, an athlete suffering a hamstring injury should engage in progressive mobilisation one week after injury. Moreover, graduated exercise involves stretching, conditioning and total body fitness. Using the example of the athlete experiencing a hamstring injury, he should begin stretching within one week post-injury. On days 4-7, post-injury, the athlete should begin static stretching up to 5 times a day, engaging in stretches such as standing hamstring curls and knee extensions. On days 6-7, PNF stretching should also begin in correlation with static stretching to increase the range of movement and allow for greater blood flow. Conditioning should also take place to improve the muscular strength and endurance of the injured site which can be achieved through exercises such as hamstring bridges and use of equipment such as medicine balls and foam rollers. Finally, total body fitness helps ensure a complete recovery in each component, so that no weakness is present when the athlete returns to play after graduated exercise. For example, the athlete with a hamstring injury should engage in activities such as swimming, cycling and running to help maintain aerobic fitness levels. Hence, graduated exercise should occur as part of the one week rehabilitation process of a hamstring injury. To continue, training should be modified throughout the rehabilitation process to match the athlete’s current level of function. The athlete with a hamstring injury should avoid normal training during the initial stages (first week) to allow the injury to settle and should only commence competitive training under the recommendation and supervision of a team doctor or physio. For example, once the athlete can jog for 40 minutes with no pain, they can gradually increase their speed work and intensity over the next few days of training. Therefore, an athlete suffering a hamstring injury should engage in modified training one week after injury. Furthermore, the use of heat and ice should also be adopted by the athlete suffering a hamstring injury during the first week to reduce pain and joint stiffness. In the first 72 hours after injury occurs, it is necessary for the athlete to ice the area to aid in the removal of waste products and reduce swelling at the site. This can be done in the form of ice packs, ice baths and vapocoolant sprays. After the initial 72 hours of using ice, heat can be applied to the injury to increase blood flow and remove the build-up of any waste products. The flow of blood delivers fresh nutrients to the site which helps prevent the development of scar tissue and relaxes muscles. This can be done in the form of infra-red lamps, hydrotherapy and heat packs. Thus, the athlete suffering a hamstring injury should utilise heat and ice one week post-injury. Therefore, there are a range of rehabilitation procedures an athlete suffering a hamstring injury can utilise one week after injury to reduce pain and allow for the healing process. This includes progressive mobilisation, graduated exercise, modified training and the use of heat and ice....