Modalities
In a case of an acute knee injury the best modality to apply would be an ice or cold whirlpool. Thermotherapy would only further aggravate the injury in the acute phase while cryotherapy would help reduce the symptoms and speed the healing process. The reasoning behind utilizing an ice or cold whirlpool would be partially because the knee can be slightly tricky as the surface is very irregular. Furthermore, a whirlpool can provide the deepest cold penetration out of the other modalities. A small whirlpool can be utilized by filling it with water and ice to obtain a temperature of 50°F-60°F and once the treatment is over, towels should be utilized to dry the injured leg. Furthermore, precautions should be taken by avoiding overcooling,
The incidence and prevalence rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in female athletes continues to increase over time (Prodromos, Han, Rogowski, Joyce, & Shi, 2007). With the growing rate in the amount of young women participating in sports, data has shown that the rate of ACL injury increases linearly with this participation ("The Relationship Between Static Posture and ACL Injury in Female Athletes," 1996). This epidemic of ACL injuries in female athletes, young or old, continues to be problematic in the athletic world. This problem not only affects the athlete themselves, but also the coaches and the sports medicine community.
In November of 2010, I was playing basketball in the fifth game of my senior season. It was just like any other game. However, I would soon find out otherwise. It was late in the game; I drove into the lane and got fouled hard. I was knocked so off-balance that I speared the floor with my knee. As soon as my knee hit the floor I heard a “snap” that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Little did I know at the time, that would be the last shot of my high school basketball career. Not long after my injury, I consulted a doctor. After getting an x-ray and an MRI, the doctor informed me that I had completely torn my ACL and would need to have surgery. An ACL tear can be a very devastating injury. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the four major ligaments within the knee. The ACL is one of the most commonly injured ligaments, injured by an estimated 200,000 patients each year. Of the 200,000 annual ACL injuries, surgery is performed in approximately 100,000 cases. There are many types of reconstructive surgery on the ACL. However, there is an alternative to surgery in the form of physical therapy.
Retrieved September 16, 2000 from: http://www. www.sechrest.com/mmg/knee/kneeacl.html. Arthroscopic ACL Reconstruction -. et al. (July 11, 1999).:Arthroscopy.com. Retrieved September 16, 2000 from: http://www.arthroscopy.com/sp05018.htm.
Vannie, S. M. D., Braz, J. R. C., Modolo, N. S. P., Amorium, R. B., & Rodrigues, G. R. (2003, March). Preoperative combined with intraoperative skin-surface warming avoids hypothermia caused by general anesthesia and surgery. Journal of Clinical Anesthesia, 15, 119-125.
A 16 year old, female high school soccer player, Lindsey Robinson tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) from a soccer game. Interestingly, she was not the only one in her team who injured her ACL, but also several of her teammates have torn the same ligament as well during the soccer season. Lephart (2002) found that women involved in physical activity are more susceptible to acquire the ACL injuries than men who are involved in the same physical activity (as cited in Ogden, 2002). According to “ACL Injury Prevention” (2004), the numbers on female ACL ruptures have been increased for the past ten year. Over 1.4 million women have been suffered from the ACL rupture which is twice the rate of the previous decade. Therefore, female ACL injuries are now a growing problem in the nation (Anonymous, 2004). Back in 1950s and 1960s, female participation in sports was rare; therefore, the rate of injuries was very low. However, according to “ACL Injuries and Female Athletes” (n.d), as Title IX was implemented in 1972, female participation in numerous sports has dramatically increased. Moreover, the rate of acquiring injuries to the ACL also has dramatically increased (Anonymous, n.d). In terms of comparing the rate of acquiring ACL injuries between two genders, females have higher rate than males do. According to the “Physical Therapy Corner” (2007), “women suffered anterior cruciate ligament injuries more often than men, nearly 4 times as often in basketball, 3 times as often in gymnastics, and nearly 2 and a half times as often in soccer” (Knee Injuries section, para.1). There are various risk factors that contribute to the high rate of acquiring injuries to the ACL for female athletes. External factors such as improper sh...
Sports Medicine is a medical field that specializes with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. It was introduced around the early Greek and Roman era when the first modern Olympic Games took place. The Greek felt they could do something to help heal and prevent injuries that the athletes were receiving. Now in sports medicine, certain injuries can only be assessed and treated by specific physicians. These physicians can include physical therapists, athletic trainers, and strength and conditioning coaches. Although sports physicians are most commonly seen by athletes after they are hurt so they can be treated, there are some physicians that are seen before an injury occurs so that they can learn how to prevent injuries.
The most common way to tear the A.C.L is by violently twisting the knee. This can happen with or without contact. Most people say they hear “a pop“. It can occur when you‘re slowing down from running, planting and suddenly changing direction, or hyperextending the knee. “When this happens immediate pain results, the knee will fully swell, tenderness occurs around the knee, and the range of motion will be greatly affected.” ( Micheli, Dr. Lyle J. ) The first thing to do if an injury occurs is to use R.I.C.E., which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
When owning a horse, you run into the problem of your horse getting injured. Getting the call from your barn manager or a friend saying that your horse is lame isn’t a call any horse owner wants to get, but is undoubtedly a call that everyone gets. The first thing that runs through their head is what happened? One of the scenarios that will enter a horse owner’s head will be a tendon, ligament, or joint injury. Many owners work very hard to prevent such injuries by feeding joint supplements, but owners can’t prevent the unexpected. Some of the major treatments out in the equine industry are even common in human tendon injuries, such as tendon splitting, stem cell therapy, and platelet rich plasma therapy. There are also several medicinal injections that have come available to veterinarians such as: Tildren, Adquan, and Legend. Every horse owner should have some knowledge of the above treatments, in order to provide the best therapy and healing for their horse.
"Chapter 37." Operative Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery. Ed. Sam Wiesel. 4th ed. Vol. 2. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011. eBook.
Most doctors agree that the dehumanization in the clinical setting can lead to the loss of a patient because of the lack of respect they are given. That is a great incentive for doctors to try to get to know their patients and make them feel as comfortable as possible. When a patient attends a teaching hospital where aspiring doctors exam patients in groups, there is no real reward for them learning personal information about the patient. They will move on to start their own practice and probably never see the patient again. However, just because the patients are at a teaching hospital does not make them any less important, so how can medical school programs promote patient-physician relationships when the physician has nothing to gain?
The company provides innovative solutions to combat postoperative conditions such as hypothermia. Medical research indicates that 60 to 80 percent of all postoperative recovery room patients are clinically hypothermic. Hypothermia is caused by a patient’s exposure to cold operating room temperatures that are required by surgeons to control infection, and for the personal comfort of the surgeon. Hypothermia can also be a result of heat loss due to evaporation of the fluids used to scrub patients, evaporation from exposed bowel, and breathing of dry anesthetic gases. Dr. Augustine’s personal experience in the operating room convinced him that there was a need for a new system to warm patients after surgery.
“John first took leftover prescription painkillers and numbed his left foot in ice water to reduce impending pain. He then buried his foot in dry ice for six hours to induce severe frostbite and force surgeons to operate” (Adams, 2007).
This surgery is more common than doing a meniscus repair. Though occasionally therapists or doctors can maneuver the tear into its correct position, the surgery is still necessary. It is done to remove the damaged portion of the meniscus but leaves as much healthy meniscus as possible. An incision about 5 mm is made in the knee to allow a camera into the joint. Then a second small incision is made to insert small instruments such as shavers, probes and biters to perform any necessary procedures. The surgery does not have to be done immediately but should be done as soon as possible so the knee can begin to fully straighten. The recovery time is usually quick and you can start physical activities soon after the meniscectomy (Baratz, Mark E., Freddie H. Fu, and Richard Mengato,
(2008) study is of a multicenter RCT comparison of 342 participants with a mean age of 58 and 79% were male. Methods of assessment and tracings were done to monitor the progress of the wound of each participant. The study concluded 73 of 169 participants healed in approximately 96 days by using NPWT whereas, participants without the NPWT took longer or did not heal completely. There was no difference in the healing time if the participant had complications such as infection, cellulitis or osteomyelitis but NPWT was more efficacious than SMWT. There can be some bias as the results are based on a higher count of males than females but the strength of the results support the proposal
* Heat and Cold Therapy has been used for centuries to manage soft tissue and joint injuries while relieving pain.