Injury Cycle

Question 1

What are the two mechanisms of soft tissue injury?

Answer 1

Micro trauma

Macro trauma

Question 2

What is micro trauma?

Answer 2

Gradual/insidious onset

Question 3

What is macro trauma?

Answer 3

Specific onset of injury

Question 4

What is the effect of the trauma?

Answer 4

Damage to cells, capillaries
Blood escapes into surrounding areas from damaged blood vessels
Which allows tissue fluid and cell contents to escape from cellular damage
Occurs within 48 hours

Question 5

What is stage 3?

Answer 5

Inflammation stage

The blood and tissue fluid form inflammation around the injury site

Question 6

How long is the inflammation process?

Answer 6

10-14 days

Question 7

What does inflammation bring?

Answer 7

Brings scar tissue to injury site to repair the damaged soft tissues
But also brings more inflammation than needed and causes adhesions

Question 8

What are adhesions?

Answer 8

Binding of local soft tissues
Inhibits flexibility and movement between structures
Compromises blood supply
Causes general contracture, leads to secondary limb stiffness

Question 9

To cure the injury site we need to..

Answer 9

Remodel and reorientate scar tissue

Remove and reabsorb adhesions

Question 10

What are the properties of adhesions

Answer 10

Sticky and gluey
Therefore are temperature and mobility dependent
So therefore when cold and haven’t moved they become stiff- causes morning stiffness

Question 11

Impact of compromised blood supply due to inflammation and adhesions

Answer 11

Blood contains nutrients needed for tissue healing so we need as much as possible to the injury site
So adhesions need to be removed

Question 12

How do we remove adhesions?

Answer 12

Deep soft tissue massage
Joint mobilisation
To break down adhesions and increase blood supply
Which helps re absorb the inflammation
And nourish the scar tissue

Question 13

How is scar tissue laid down and what do we do?

Answer 13

Normal tissue is orientated along the lines of stress
Scar tissue is laid down in a mesh, disorganised and inherently contractile
So we load the Scar tissue in a specific way to facilitate remodelling and reabsorption along the lines of stress
Done with S&C program

Question 14

Failure to adhered to the management strategy will cause?

Answer 14

Re irritation of the tissues

Provoke further inflammatory response