IB Sports, exercise and health science B.3.2.2 Initial Treatment Methods and Therapeutic Modalities for Injury Recovery Notes

Inflammation is the body's first response to injury

1. The moment tissue is damaged, the body launches an inflammatory response.
2. Inflammation is necessary for healing, but too much can slow recovery.

The four signs of acute inflammation

1. Redness comes from increased blood flow to the area.
2. Heat comes from the same increased blood flow.
3. Swelling is fluid leaking into surrounding tissue, splinting the injury.
4. Pain is stimulated by chemical mediators and warns the athlete to protect the area.

Why excessive inflammation slows recovery

1. Excessive swelling reduces range of movement.
2. Prolonged immobility leads to muscle weakness and joint stiffness.
3. The aim of early treatment is to keep the helpful parts of inflammation working while limiting the unhelpful ones.

PRICE and POLICE protocols

1. Several acronyms guide the first 24 to 48 hours of acute injury management.
2. Each acronym builds on the previous one by adding a key principle: protection, optimal loading, or both alongside the ice-compression-elevation foundation.

Protocol acronyms

POLICE replaces strict rest with optimal loading

1. The POLICE acronym replaces rest with optimal loading.
2. Small, carefully chosen movement loads can speed healing in many soft-tissue injuries.
3. Complete immobilisation may slow recovery.

Ice, compression, and elevation

1. Ice, compression, and elevation control swelling without shutting inflammation down completely.
2. These three interventions reduce swelling, pain, and stiffness in the first 24 to 48 hours after an acute injury.

Cryotherapy (ice)

1. Cold constricts local blood vessels, limiting fluid leakage.
2. Cold also produces cold-induced analgesia by numbing nerve endings.
3. A typical session applies ice for about 20 minutes and waits at least an hour before repeating.

Compression

1. Compression bandages add external pressure to the area.
2. Compression limits fluid accumulation and improves lymphatic drainage.

Elevation

1. Elevation raises the injured part above the level of the heart.
2. Gravity helps fluid return through the veins.

NSAIDs

1. NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen reduce both pain and inflammation by blocking inflammatory chemicals.
2. NSAIDs are not suitable for everyone and should be recommended by a medical professional before use.
3. Caution is especially important in young athletes or alongside other medications.

Surgical repair

1. Most sports injuries heal with conservative care, but the most severe do not.
2. Surgery restores anatomical structure when conservative treatment cannot, by reattaching torn tissue or stabilising broken bone.
3. Surgical repair is always followed by a structured rehabilitation programme to rebuild strength, flexibility, and function.

When surgery is needed

1. Complete muscle tears often require surgical reattachment so the muscle can heal at the correct length.
2. Unstable or displaced fractures may need to be aligned in an operating theatre and held in position with pins, screws, or plates.
3. This is known as internal fixation.

Rehabilitation

1. Once acute symptoms settle, rehabilitation takes over.
2. The goal is to rebuild function in a way that prevents the same injury from happening again.

Three phases of rehabilitation

1. Range-of-motion work restores movement to the joint or muscle.
2. Strengthening exercises rebuild surrounding tissues using static, then functional, then dynamic loads.
3. Sport-specific drills return the athlete to the patterns of movement they need to perform.

Therapeutic modalities

1. Physiotherapists and sports therapists use additional modalities alongside structured exercise.
2. Modalities are chosen based on the stage of healing and the specific tissue involved.

Common modalities

1. Manual therapy (massage, joint mobilisation) reduces pain and improves mobility around the injury.
2. Electrotherapy such as ultrasound and electrical stimulation stimulates tissue repair and manages pain.
3. Cryotherapy is used for early-stage swelling.
4. Heat therapy is used in later stages to increase blood flow and ease stiffness.
5. Advice, reassurance, and education help the athlete take an active part in recovery.

Balancing inflammation reduction against healing

1. Inflammation drives healing, so suppressing it too aggressively can slow recovery.
2. Uncontrolled swelling, pain, and stiffness can stop the athlete from moving at all.
3. Effective acute care does enough to keep the athlete comfortable and moving without switching off the inflammatory process.