Additional treatment and prevention For rotator cuff tears, athletes should take NSAIDs and apply ice for pain management. Kinesio tape or a full shoulder brace can help support the shoulder muscles through simple actions. For adhesive capsulitis, athletes in severe pain should seek a corticosteroid injection from their physician, which will reduce the inflammation at the glenohumeral joint. Once an athlete has recovered from either of these injuries, therapists should recommend that the athlete takes more time than usual to stretch the rotator cuff muscles to include a simple forward and backward circumduction of the affected arm. Rotator cuff tears occur in baseball players (particularly pitchers), swimmers, tennis players, and on occasion, golfers. Adhesive capsulitis occurs more often in contact sports or sports in which players come in contact with the ground, such as football. Tennis elbow Tennis elbow is the generic term for the inflammation and pain that occurs at the lateral epicondyle of the humerus and weakness at the wrist due to the repetitive use of the forearm’s extensor muscles. (This injury is not to be confused with Golfer’s elbow, a similar but less common overuse injury that causes swelling at the medial and lateral epicondyle of the humerus due to a repetitive use of the forearm’s flexor muscles.) The symptoms of this injury are due to small tears of the extensor muscles’ common tendon through which synovial fluid, the fluid that lubricates joints is lost, making any movement at the elbow painful. Sometimes the degree of the tendon damage requires surgery to repair. When surgery is not required, massage therapists can treat tennis elbow using counter torque twisting, cross fiber friction, directional massage, petrissage, and trigger point therapy. Before using any of these techniques, however, the lateral epicondyle should be iced for a few minutes to reduce inflammation and pain. Once the injury has been iced and the athlete is in the supine position, therapists can attempt counter torque twisting by beginning at the wrist and working up the forearm towards the elbow. Then, therapists should cross the elbow so that they are counter torque twisting the forearm with one hand and the bicep with the other. Massage therapists should finish by conducting counter torque twisting on the bicep.
Next, they should try cross fiber friction perpendicular to the extensor tendon above and below the lateral epicondyle. (Therapists should remember to ice before and afterwards when performing cross fiber friction for tendonitis injuries.) Directional massage is a good follow-up to cross fiber friction. Therapists can begin the technique by placing the athlete’s arm in its reverse anatomical position (palm face down) and holding the hand down while sinking into and engaging the extensor muscles at the wrist. Then, therapists should move one inch towards the elbow, reduce their pressure and take out any slack in the skin, then repeat the procedure until they reach the elbow. Petrissage is a good technique to help loosen tense muscles surrounding the elbow and should be performed liberally on the upper forearm and bicep. Lastly, therapists should search for trigger points among the various forearm extensor muscles and treat them if present. (If none are present, therapists may wish to check the biceps’ brachioradialis, the triceps brachii, and supraspinatus, as trigger points in these muscles also refer pain to the lateral epicondyle.) Additional treatment and prevention As with many sports injuries, R.I.C.E. and NSAIDs are the standard course of action here. Acupuncture and Kinesio tape has been shown to be effective for reducing the pain associated with tennis elbow. Wearing an elbow brace can prevent tennis elbow from reoccurring by changing the direction of the forces on the forearm extensor’s tendon. Affected athletes should also consider examining their performance techniques and equipment as deficiencies in either of these areas, such as using a racquet with too small a grip, may be causing the injury. Per its name, tennis player and racquet sport athletes suffer this injury far more often than any other particular athlete. The diversity of sporting activities means that there are many more sports injuries massage therapists may encounter when working with athletes. Although there is no standard protocol for treating any particular injury, the techniques listed in this course will give massage therapists the knowledge necessary to begin treating whatever injuries an athlete may have. Naturally, though, the best medicine is preventative medicine and these techniques may help an athlete from becoming injured in the first place. Massage therapists should ensure every athlete they meet knows about the potential benefits of massage therapy.
WORKS CITED https://qr2.mobi/sportsinjuries
Page 21
Book Code: MTX1326
EliteLearning.com/Massage-Therapy
Powered by FlippingBook