Concepts in Soft Tissue Therapies Flashcards
When is massage indicated in sports therapy?
When inflammation fails to resolve or healing is delayed and when tissue drainage or perfusion appear inadequate
What are the benefits of massage?
- Mobilisation/elongation of shortened connective tissues
- Reduces pain
- Restores normal muscle activity & function
- Accurate assessment of dysfunction
How does massage affect circulation?
- Changes pressure differential of circulation
- Move intra/extracellular fluids
- Lymphatic drainage
- Venous return with muscle pumps and valves
What components of skin are considered during massage?
- Circulation
- Sensation
- Scarring
- Adhesions
What components of connective tissue are considered during massage?
- Collagen (hypomobile)
- Elastin (hypermobile)
- Fibre orientation
- Strain vs stress
What is the difference between strain and stress?
Strain = force, how hard you need to press to get something to move Stress = stretch, how far you can move something
What components of muscle are considered during massage?
- Tone
- Collagen
- Elastin
- Fibre orientation
- Muscle vs tendon tissue type
- Injury and tissue structure
How can massage affect muscle tone?
Reduce resting tone
What are the therapeutic and relaxation effects of massage?
- Vasodilation
- Extravasation (flushing)
- Traction on dermis
- Force transferred to deeper layers with increased pressure
- Physical movement of deeper tissues
- Stimulation of sensory & autonomic nerves
How does massage affect circulation?
- Delivers nutrients
- Clearance of waste products (e.g. lactic acid)
- Reduces swelling
- Post-massage increases in blood flow through region (due to vasodilation/clearance of waste)
How can massage affect connective tissue cross-bridges?
By remodelling the tissue fibres so they are linear & therefore perform better under stress
What conditions can massage be used to treat?
- Inflammation (chronic, not acute)
- Chronic oedema
- Fibrosis
- Contracture (shortening of tissues over time)
- Pain
Facilitated segment (reflexes, modulation)
What assessments can be used in conjunction with massage?
- General
- Postural
- Gait
- ROM
- Appearance of tissues
- Palpation
- Functional
- Post-treatment
What is the difference between precautions and contra-indications?
Precautions = require levels of control & awareness to avoid damage Contra-indications = not safe to perform technique
What are the precautions & contra-indications of massage?
- Thrombus (blood clot)
- Implants
- Illness (responses are not normal)
- Foreign body/bony prominence
- Haemophilia/fragile blood vessels
- Stage of healing/inflammation
- Local infection
- Open wounds
- Allergies
