Rehabilitation In Sports Medicine

Running head: Medicine and Health 1

Rehabilitation in Sports Medicine

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Introduction

In the world of sports, little can be done to avoid injuries at all cost, it’s inevitable. Since

it is an involving activity, participants expose themselves to possibilities of getting injured be it

tissue injury or musculoskeletal injury. Getting back to optimal functionality and form is called

restoration (Muhic, 2017) in sports while the applied management expertise required for the

diagnosis and treatment of the musculoskeletal injuries is rehabilitation. The purpose is mainly to

stimulate recovery. In sports, those injured strive to regain their active life as fast as possible and

rehabilitation specialist works to give just that. They employ evidence based methods to manage

patients through recovery (Hart, 2015) and back to their sporting life again or better still, boost

their performance in their respective fields of sporting. In order to get back to full gear,

professional care is required. Specialists have been drawn into the sport medicine like the

orthopedic surgeon, sports physicians and physiotherapists to boost after sports injury

rehabilitation (Dhillon et al, 2017). These dedicated specialists try to ensure that their choice of

rehabilitation plan gives the optimal results to the patient in terms of reduction of time of injury

stay, reversal of the loss incurred due to the injury and correct the injury (Frontera, 20013).

Platelet- rich plasma is becoming widely used in sport medicine because of its ability to fasten

tendon and muscle recovery. It is an autologous blood with a higher level of platelets than

normal. This excerpt elucidates on the role of medicine in the field of sports. It also explains the

role of platelet- rich plasma in enhancing sports medical experience and ensures patients get back

to their daily activities in the shortest period of time. It also explains why this method should be

utilized in terms of its advantages but also explains the disadvantages of it.

Rehabilitation in sports medicine

For optimal rehabilitation, proper diagnosis is paramount. Treating something that is not

maybe a time and resources loss but may also be lethal to the patient. For instance, misdiagnosis

of a fracture to a swelling will lead to the treatment of a swelling instead of a fracture and as time

goes by, the harmful effects will be seen at times too late to revert things but proper diagnosis

ensures that a patient recovers from an injury in the most natural way and in an acceptable time

frame. Treating the consequences only will not help much in rehabilitation. One focus of

rehabilitation is on reducing the possibilities of recurrence of the same issue. Addressing the

cause of the injury like poor training or an individual’s perspective like flexibility would help in

rehabilitating the patient in an effective and assuring manner. Correcting functional deficits,

reducing pain and restoring the patients’ defining characteristics would help address the cause of

the injury and avoid a repeat of the injury. Reducing the time required to recover from an injury

is the will of every player in the medical practitioners and the patient too and making it any

longer puts them in jeopardy. There are levels of rehabilitation according to American Academy

of Pediatrics (2015) that need to be followed systematically in that order to fasten the process but

a cross-matching may result to longer periods than necessary being taken in the recovery

chambers. These include (1) Resting, protecting the injured part and controlling pain and swell,

(2) Restoring the motion of the joint and making the muscles flexible, (3) Restoring the strength,

power and stamina of the muscles and (4) Restoring the functionality of the body e.g. agility

Depending on the type of injury the player has sustained, recovery programs vary. Some

injuries require a lot of physical rest e.g. a concussion before a return to activity protocol is

initiated (Schneider et al, 2017). In sporting, in as much as rehabilitation is necessary, patients

are put under strenuous programs to help them regain their initial state.

Platelet-rich Plasma

Muscle strength, power and stamina recovery is one area that specialists capitalize on and

the use of platelet rich plasma to enhance muscle recovery is a boost in the sports medicine field.

Platelets rich plasma is an autologous blood with a concentration of platelets above base value

(Hall et al, 2009). An individual’s own blood is taken and taken for preparation where platelets

are separated and concentrated then gets injected in the host’s body to help in the healing process

mainly by rebuilding the tissues in the local area of the injury. Platelets are basically constituents

of the body that helps in the healing process. They work by producing growth factors and which

is basically the tech that platelet rich plasma employs. By doing so, an increase in the growth

factors in the body increases the healing potential (Soomekh, 2010). Because injury is inevitable

during sporting activities, platelets rich plasma has proven to be of great use to the sports

medical practitioners in treating muscle, tendons, soft tissues, healing wounds and augmentation

of the bones. Platelet-rich Plasma is applied at the site of injury to boost the concentration of

platelets at that given site above the base value usually during the inflammatory phase of wound

healing.

Merits of using Platelet-rich Plasma

 Platelet-rich Plasma is retrieved from the patient’s body (autologous), and then prepared

for reinjection. This thereby reduces the medical risks of being injected a foreign material

that may cause a hypersensitive reaction.

 Platelet-rich Plasma accelerates the growth of cells around the injured place thereby

hastening the healing process.

 It assists damaged tissues to mend faster due to its constituents. Being a blood

constituent, Platelet-rich Plasma contains proteins, nutrients and other growth factors

 It is a cheaper method for muscle and tendons treatment

 Body structures are strengthened rather than being weakened by the injection

 Provides satisfactory relief when used

 The procedure is time effective. In less than an hour, platelet rich plasma is ready for use

Demerits of using Platelet-rich Plasma

 Pain and irritation at the treatment area makes most people uncomfortable. The pain is at

times worse that without the treatment

 Possibilities of tearing an artery or vein during injection resulting to the formation of a

clot inside the body

 Discoloration at the point of treatment

 Limited application. Other than the bones, tendons and muscles, Platelet-rich Plasma is

not known to be used in other ways

 Not all people can afford it; insurance companies are even shying off from it due to its

newness (Wilson, 2015).

 Other medications like those for making nerves numb cannot be used before, during or

after injection of platelets rich plasma. This is in fear of a possible reverting of the

healing effect.

 Does not work on everybody

My take

Health care practitioners can use this information to better handle sports related injuries of

the tendons, muscles and bones to revert the process. Platelets rich plasma is a less invasive,

cheaper and time saving method as compared to other procedures like surgery. The healing effect

is almost instant and is very easy to use. Platelets rich plasma has very little side effects or after

effect making it one of the best if not the best option there is to treating sports related injuries.

My view point is that, medical practitioners not only in the sports medicine should learn more

about platelets rich plasma and make maximum use of it for treating their patients with bones or

tendon issues. Its effectiveness is amazing and the time required to properly heal using other

methods is cut almost by half. Things cannot get any better.

Conclusion

In as much as we can’t avoid getting injured during sporting activities, we can take

measures to keep us back in action as soon as we get out of action. Sports medical practitioners

strive to reduce the possibilities of injury recurrence reduce pain and restore muscle strength in

the shortest time possible. For sport’s men and women, it’s all about getting on track and with

proper rehabilitation plan, a lot more can be achieved, for instance other than getting back to the

initial state, one can actually get better. With the use of Platelets rich plasma, muscles are made

stronger and structural body works are strengthened which can have positive effects on the

player. Platelets rich plasma is just the answer to players who would have to suffer for a bone,

spine or tendon injury for so long. With its fastened action, Platelets rich plasma can be counted

on for better results. It is up to health practitioners to step up and embrace the new tech available

and make players healthier and up to their tasks. The safeness bestowed on Platelets rich plasma

due to it being autologous, its less invasive, and cheaper in terms of time and money as

compared to other forms of muscle, bone or tendon rectification makes most players result to its

use. Although no good thing is perfect, platelets rich plasma suffers from several set-backs such

as incompatibility with some people and incompatibility with nerves numbing medications.

References.

Hart J.M. (2015). Clinics in sports medicine: Sports Rehabilitation. Vol 34, issue 2. Pp. 13-24.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csm.2015.02.001

Dhillon H., Dhillon S. and Dhillon M.S. (2017). Current concepts in sports injury rehabilitation.

Indian journal of orthopedics. 51(5):529-536. doi: 10.4103/ortho.IJOrtho_226_17

Muhic E. (2017). Rehabilitation in Sport. Physiopedia, . Retrieved 22:55, April 27, 2018 from

https://www.physio-pedia.com/index.php?title=Rehabilitation_in_Sport&oldid=174942.

Frontera W.R. (2003). Rehabilitation of Sports Injuries: Scientific Basis. Vol X of Encylopaedia

of Sports Medicine. An IOC Medical Committee Publication in collaboration with the

International Federation of Sports Medicine. Blackwell Science Ltd.

American Academy of Pediatrics (2015). Sports injuries treatment. Healthychildren.org.

Schneider K.J., Leddy J.J., Guskiewicz K.M., Seifert T., McCrea M., Silverberg N.D., Demont

N.F., Iverson G.L., Hayden A. and Makdissi M. (2017). Rest and treatment/ rehabilitation

following sport- related concussion: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med.

doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-097475

Hall M.P., Band P.A., Meislin R.J., Jazrawi L.M. and Cardone D.A. (2009). Platelet-rich plasma:

Current concepts and application in sports medicine. PMID: 19794217

Sumekh D.J. (2010). current concepts for the use of platelet- rich plasma in the foot and ankle.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpm.2010.09.001

Wilson J.J. (2015). Are PRP injections effective? Veritas health. https://www.sports-

health.com/treatment/regenerative-medicine/are-prp-injections-effective

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