Soft tissue injury is an injury to any of the soft tissues of the body. The most common soft tissues injured are muscles, tendons, and ligaments. These injuries often occur during sports and exercise activities, but sometimes simple everyday activities can cause an injury.
Sprains, strains, and contusions, as well as tendinitis and bursitis, are common soft-tissue injuries. Even with appropriate treatment, these injuries may require a prolonged amount of time to heal.
Soft-tissue injuries fall into two basic categories: acute injuries and overuse injuries.
* Acute injuries are caused by a sudden trauma, such as a fall, twist, or blow to the body. Examples of an acute injury include sprains, strains, and contusions.
* Overuse injuries occur gradually over time, when an athletic or other activity is repeated so often, areas of the body do not have enough time to heal between occurrences. Tendinitis and bursitis are common soft-tissue overuse injuries.
Treatment will vary depending upon the needs and demands of your injury. Physiotherapists will conduct an evaluation which would involve getting your medical history, prior level of activity, mechanism of injury and your goals for post recovery. The physical examination will include an assessment of range-of-motion, depending on the nature of the injury, strength and biomechanics.
Treatment Modalities may include:
* Ice
* Heat
* Joint mobilisation
* Electrotherapy
* Ultrasound
* Laser
* TENS Machine
* Electrical Stimulation
* Magnetic Field Therapy
* Massage
* Trigger Point Therapy
* Acupuncture
* Dry Needling
* Supportive Taping & Strapping
* Exercise prescription
o Specific Stretching Exercises
o Strengthening Exercises: Localised and Global (eg Core Stability and Adjacent Muscle Groups)
o Proprioceptive Retraining
o Biomechanics Correction
o Function or Sports-Specific Rehabilitation
Soft tissue injury is painful and requires physiotherapy intervention. It is important to rest the part and give it time to heal. Athletes are often reluctant to do this and continue to train despite pain and injury. This is unwise, as the injury can be exacerbated and take a longer time to heal these tissues to optimal function.
Stretch of the Month
Foot and Ankle Rotations
1. Move your foot and ankle in a circle as large as possible
2. You should feel no more than a mild to moderate stretch.
3. Repeat 10 – 20 times provided the exercise is pain free.
4. Don’t forget to do both directions
Towards Wellness
Plan for relaxation.
Most of us are busy during the week and even our weekends seem to become non-stop errands, chores, work and travel. So how do you find time to relax? Take the whole weekend (or at least part of it) to schedule some downtime for at least an hour or two. Whether it’s practicing your favourite hobby, seeing a movie with friends or even meditating quietly, do something every weekend that recharges you. You’ll not only feel better, but also beat stress.