Muscle injuries commonly occur during high-intensity sports activities. Sometimes the injury is mild which can be treated with the emergency treatment protocol and the athlete is able to go back and join the match but sometimes it is an injury that cannot be treated with emergency care only, hospitalization and proper medical treatment is necessary sometimes.
Here I have some physiotherapy guidelines for emergency treatment plan following a muscle injury during sports activity or during training before the competition.
- Position the athlete properly.
- Fix the cervical spine to eliminate the chances of any serious issue in case of cervical spine injury.
- RICE is the golden standard treatment protocol for acute muscle injuries. It should be implemented as soon as possible following acute injury.
- R- Rest from the activity,
- I- Icing on the injuries part if is not bleeding,
- C - Compression to prevent the body from edema by promoting lymphatic drainage and
- E - Elevation above the level of the heart to decrease swelling and edema.
- Gentle stretches and early weight-bearing within the pain-free range to assist with correct fiber orientation.
- Localized soft tissue techniques, including cryotherapy in the acute phase and electrotherapy once the acute phase has settled, helps in the reduction of any muscle spasm helping soft tissue repair.
- Early mobilization and weight-bearing should also be encouraged if there is no evidence of fracture.
- Fitness and conditioning of the athlete should incorporate with the early rehabilitation without compromising the injury.
- Specificity and functional fitness are imperative to help return the athlete back to sport without recurrence.
Reference:
- Sports Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention by: Paul Comfort &Earle Abrahamson, 1st Edition, 2010,Wiley Blackwell Publishers.
- Clinical Sports Medicine by: Brukner & Khan, 4ed, McGraw-Hill Publishers A guide to sports and injury management by: Mike Bundy & Andy Leaver, 1st edition, 2010, Churchill Livingstone.
