common sports injuries and how to treat them . Effects of cold and heat
Sports injuries are the biggest fear of any enthusiast or active athlete. Just when the training is going well and the first results are observed, some trauma appears in the form of sprains, joint pains, muscle spasms, sprains and even tears of muscles and tendons. The treatment of trauma and recovery as quickly as possible in sports form is the concern of science rehabilitation. It uses the application of healing agents and therapeutic exercises. The former include a variety of forms of cold, heat, electricity, or massage used to reduce pain and swelling and aid healing.
Table of Contents
There are two phases of trauma: acute and subacute
The first lasts from one to three days and is the period during which you experience the most pain and discomfort. The temptation to continue training is invariably present, because they have become an integral part of everyday life. The subacute phase lasts from three to fourteen days and then begins to feel improvement. The desire to return to sports usually comes to the victim around the end of this stage. It is extremely important to suppress this call in order to avoid further injuries.
Cryotherapy or cold therapy
is often used as the initial treatment for acute trauma or inflammation. Its application lowers the temperature of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. This leads to constriction of the small blood vessels and as a result – reduced dew. This is followed by a decrease in intramuscular and intra-articular temperature. Low temperatures may persist for several hours after therapy, but the cooling of the skin and subcutaneous tissue is much more significant.
Applied ice in the acute phase can alleviate the inflammation of the injured tissues. The cold lowers metabolic processes and prevents further lack of oxygen at the site of injury. It is important to know that its application during the acute phase increases the swelling of the limb, because it facilitates the exit of fluids from the superficial lymph vessels. The latter collect fluids from the space between the muscles, veins and arteries. Therefore, it is recommended to lift and compress the limb together with the cooling of the affected area. Cryotherapy also has an effect on nerve function.
Cooling them reduces the speed of information transmission and acts as an analgesic for injuries. Reducing pain in this way is most effective when reduced by 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, but the duration of pain relief with this method is very different and individual. Decreased transmission of information to the nerves also affects muscle spasms. Historically, cold was first described as an analgesic by Napoleon’s surgeon, Baron Larry.
After the application of the cooling agent there is a feeling of cold, followed by heat, dull pain and finally numbness. Cryotherapy should not be used by people with hypersensitivity to low temperatures caused by Raynaud’s syndrome and cold-induced allergies. Too long cooling, although rare, can cause paralysis of the superficial nerves.
Heat therapy – common sports injuries and how to treat them
raises the temperature of the skin and subcutaneous tissue at a constant rate from the very beginning. This is expressed by dilation of blood vessels in the warmed area. Increased blood flow does not allow too much overheating, as the applied heat is distributed around the injured field. The skin there turns red as a result of the greater amount of blood passing through the subcutaneous arteries and veins. Various methods and devices are used for heat therapy. Such with action on the surface of the body, such as lamps with infrared heat, hot compresses, paraffin bath, hydrotherapy and those with deep action, such as ultrasound.
Dilation of blood vessels – vasodilation increases the supply of oxygen and nutrients and the release of waste products. This process is natural and is a normal response to surface heating. Conversely, muscle temperature depends more on exercise than on applying heat in various forms.
Blood flow increases nine times more in one minute of training than at rest. During the acute phase of the injury, the application of heat can increase the pain and cause additional complications. Heat treatment during this period can also contribute to the release of histamine and prostaglandins – these mediators have the ability to increase pain up to ten times! It is possible to increase bleeding from ruptured blood vessels.
During the subacute phase of the injury, an increase in blood flow can help the healing process, and warming can relieve pain and stiffness. It should not be used when the victim has a fever, such as a fever. Additional heating can damage the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
-
Infrared light works through special lamps called sollux. The only thing you need to do is protect your skin from sunburn, because the effect is similar to sunlight. Hot compresses are made from warm towels or gel-filled bags, the same ones used for cryotherapy. The paraffin bath is the immersion of the affected joint in melted paraffin. It is usually used for smaller joints such as the knee, wrist and elbow, but not in the presence of wounds.
- Hydrotherapy can be applied in specialized physiotherapy departments and is a high-temperature bath in which a vortex is created. It is also used for washing wounds and burns.
-
Ultrasound works through high-frequency sound waves that penetrate deep into the tissues under the skin. Vibrations are created and heat is produced, which attracts blood to the area of application. Ultrasound warms the skin and subcutaneous fat very little, but heats the area under them. The waves are absorbed by tissues with a higher content of proteins – nerves, muscles, tendons, ligaments and joint capsule. A non-thermal effect is the increased movement of ions in the cells, which accelerates healing.
common sports injuries and how to treat them
Sources used for common sports injuries and how to treat them :
- Fu-Sports Injuries Mechanisms Prevention Treatment, 2nd edition, 1994 Dec
- International Journal of Sports Medicine, 2001 Jul
- www.wikipedia.org/therapy
