Athletic Trainer
Dealing with simple sports injuries 3: Pulls, tendonitis, contusion
Muscle and tendon pulls
Also, proprioception training needs to be strengthened; the training method is shown in Pic. 4. With one foot on the ball, move it in various directions; it is recommended that you start using a large ball and then increase the difficulty by using a smaller ball.
When the injured place is no longer swollen (after about three days,) a hot compress can be used to stimulate circulation.
Pic. 4 Proprioception training
Muscle pulls and tendonitis:
Generally speaking there isn’t much difference between the way muscle and tendon pulls are treated, the only difference being the place that is injured.
As the name suggests, muscle pulls affects the muscle itself, while the tendon is the connection between muscle and bone.
For the treatment of the two types of injury, protection is most important in the acute period and any movement that uses force should be avoided.
For 48 hours the main treatment should be application of a cold compress, and physical therapy can also be used, such as TENS, IFC, to help ease pain and promote circulation; ultrasound treatment can also be used to accelerate the recovery of tissue.
After pain and swelling have eased, muscle training of the pulled muscle can be carried out. Please refer to Play Better Badminton Training 1 and 6 ! During this period Kinesio taping can also be used to give full protection to the muscle!
Contusion:
Contusions usually occur when a large muscle is subject to direct impact during sport, causing internal bleeding.
If not handled properly, calcified myositis can be caused so it is necessary to rest immediately and also to avoid massaging the affected area to prevent intensification of pain.
Apply cold compresses for 2-3 days, for 15-20 minutes every hour, and then 20 minutes every 4-6 hours 2-3 days after the injury.
If the swelling in the affected area hasn’t worsened by day 3, hot compresses can now be used. If the affected area has a wound or the skin condition is poor, the hot compress can be applied near the affected area.
The affected area can also be compressed by using an elastic bandage, for example, to ease the pain and reduce swelling. Remove the bandage when showering and then re-apply after drying.
The bandage should not be too tight or too loose. The affected limb should be raised up as much as possible, higher than the heart, to reduce pain.
Heat treatment can be used in the chronic period; as well as self-application of hot compresses, physical therapy such as ultrasound, short wave, infrared and low level laser can also be used.
Contusions can result in reduction of muscle strength and flexibility so second-degree injury can easy occur and this makes muscle stamina, flexibility and proprioception training very important after being injured.
( Edit by VICTOR Badminton )
