Sports Medicine Direct

Alisha Dhamani asked:


Over the past decade, the scientific information on traumatic brain injury has increased considerably. A number of models, theories and hypotheses of traumatic brain injury have been elaborated.

Despite dramatic advances in this field of medicine, traumatic brain injury, including the mild 2 Slobounov and Sebastianelli traumatic brain injury (MTBI), commonly known as a concussion, is still one of the most puzzling neurological disorders and least understood injuries facing the sport medicine world today.

Definitions of concussion are almost always qualified by the statement that loss of consciousness can occur in the absence of any gross damage or injury visible by light microscopy to the brain.

According to a recent NIH Consensus Statement, mild traumatic brain injury is an evolving dynamic process that involves multiple interrelated components exerting primary and secondary effects at the level of individual nerve cells (neuron), the level of connected networks of such neurons (neural networks), and the level of human thoughts or cognition.

The need for multidisciplinary research on mild brain injury arises from recent evidence identifying long-lasting residual disabilities that are often overlooked using current research methods. The notion of transient and rapid symptoms resolution is misleading since symptoms resolution is not indicative of injury resolution.

There are no two traumatic brain injuries alike in mechanism, symptomology, or symptoms resolution. Most grading scales are based on loss of consciousness (LOC), and post-traumatic amnesia, both of which occur infrequently in MTBI. There is still no agreement upon diagnosis and there is no known treatment for this injury besides the passage of time. LOC for instance, occurs in only 8% of concussion cases.

Overall, recent research has shown the many shortcomings of current MTBI assessments rating scales, neuropsychological assessments and brain imaging techniques.

Humans are able to compensate for mild neuronal loss because of redundancies in the brain structures that allow reallocation of resources such that undamaged pathways and neurons are used to perform cognitive and motor tasks.

Three to four weeks after conception, one of the two cell layers of the gelatin-like human embryo, now about one-tenth of an inch long, starts to thicken and build up along the middle. As this flat neural plate grows, parallel ridges, similar to the creases in a paper airplane, rise across its surface.

Within a few days, the ridges fold in toward each other and fuse to form the hollow neural tube. The top of the tube thickens into three bulges that form the hindbrain, midbrain and forebrain. The first signs of the eyes and then the hemispheres of the brain appear later.

How does all this happen? Although many of the mechanisms of human brain development remain secrets, neuroscientists are beginning to uncover some of these complex steps through studies of the roundworm, fruit fly, frog, zebrafish, mouse, rat, chicken, cat and monkey.

Knowing how the brain is put together is essential for understanding its ability to reorganize in response to external influences or to injury. These studies also shed light on brain functions, such as learning and memory.

Brain diseases, such as schizophrenia and mental retardation, are thought to result from a failure to construct proper connections during development. Neuroscientists are beginning to discover some general principles to understand the processes of development, many of which overlap in time.



Floyd

Jay Moncliff asked:


Taking medicine has its risks. In fact, some medicine you take will have more risks than the illness you are tying to cure by taking the medicine. There are a lot of things about medicine your probably don’t know, but are facts that you need to educate yourself on so you can be as healthy as possible and know what is going on with your body.

Before you take any medicine, make sure you know what the medicine is, the name of it, and why you are taking it. Mistakes happen all the time in the medical field, so it is up to you to make sure you are getting the correct medicine.

Also, ask how long you should take the medicine and in what doses. Some medicine needs to be taken frequently while others are only once a day or even once a week. Make sure you are very clear on the dosage schedule for the medicine.

Find out if there are any foods or activities you need to avoid while taking a particular medicine. Some drugs will warn you to stay away from the sun or not drive while others will suggest you avoid certain foods and most will warn against drinking any alcoholic beverages. You will also want to know if any over the counter drugs like Tylenol can be taken when you are taking a particular medicine as well. Be sure you are clear on these recommendations before you take any medicine.

You should always ask your doctor if there are any other side effects of the medicine and what they might be. Also, some side effects of medicine are very serious so if you are taking a medicine that has a high risk factor you will want to be well informed and know what to do in case of an emergency.

Medicine is great because it helps people fight illnesses, feel better, and live with aches and pains. However, one should always be fully educated about a particular medicine before beginning a regimen.



Veronica

Katie Kelley asked:


Although the sports medicine community has not come to a consensus, there are two methods of objective testing that may satisfy the reasonableness test: neuropsychological testing and postural stability testing.

Neuropsychological testing measures the athlete’s cognitive flexibility, attention span, orientation, concentration, visual-spatial capacity, distractibility, immediate memory recall, and problem-solving abilities.

These tests directly measure the cognitive qualities that are affected by head injury and allow athletic trainers to objectively evaluate the athlete’s condition.

The administration of these tests generally occurs in a clinical setting, although recent research indicates that athletic trainers may also administer neuropsychological tests on the sidelines and achieve valid results. The National Football League and National Hockey League currently use neuropsychological testing to assess professional athletes’ cognitive abilities, establishing that it is reasonable to employ these tests as a standard for assessing, treating, and making return-to-play decisions.

Similarly, researchers have established that postural stability tests are reasonable to use in determining when symptoms of concussion cease. These objective tests use sophisticated force plate systems to challenge sensory systems involved in balance by altering visual and support surface conditions.

Although it may not be reasonable to expect the average athletic trainer to have access to this type of equipment, research indicates that there is a significant correlation between the results of simple tests that the athletic trainer can conduct on the sideline and the results of sophisticated postural stability tests.

One of the reasons that athletic trainers rely so heavily on subjective measures and personal intuition when evaluating an athlete with a head injury is that they have nothing for comparison. Athletic trainers and team physicians routinely conduct pre-participation examinations to determine if an athlete has a condition that would preclude participation in sports.

Although reported legal decisions provide little guidance regarding the appropriate nature and scope of a standard pre-participation examination, many lawsuits allege that the sports medicine professional did not discover a medical condition that later resulted in injury or death.

Informed Consent

Generally the law has found that physicians who conduct a thorough pre-participation examination in conformity with accepted standards of practice are not liable for the athlete’s injuries that occurred post examination.

Sports medicine professionals should always consider the intensity and physical demands of the athlete’s sport, all objective clinical evidence, and the probability and severity of harm from athletic participation given the athlete’s condition. Failure to provide an athlete with full disclosure of material information about playing a sport with a medical condition or the potential consequences creates liability for negligence. This duty to disclose relevant information relates to the issue of informed consent.

Informed consent is usually a defense for assault and battery, but courts have translated this concept into negligence terminology. Informed consent comes from the public policy that a competent adult has the legal right to determine what to do with their body. As such, adults may provide consent, but minors require consent by a parent or guardian.

The consent must represent an informed decision regarding the risks of treatment and participation. For an athlete’s decision to be informed, the sports medicine professional must clearly warn of all material, short-term, and long-term medical risks of continued athletic participation under the circumstances. Athletic trainers and team physicians can share liability if more than one person, other than the athlete, contributed to any injury.

If negligence can be associated to a sports accident or injury there are potential damages, which the injured party can collect. The athlete must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a breach of some type was in fact the legal cause of the injury.

In a negligence case, the injured party generally seeks financial damages for the following areas: past, present, and future pain and suffering; past, present, and future medical expenses; and past, present, and future diminution of earning cap.



Ruby

Gordy Weiss asked:


Magnetic Therapy have been used in the international sports world for many years for

healing injuries due to sprains and repetitive strain. Due to its capability of quick healing it is ruling a major area in the world of sports medicine. Sometimes much kind of injuries has to be treated and healed as quickly as possible and magnet with its quick healing properties is employed in the area of injury to aid the sports person towards a faster recovery.

The increasing popularity and acceptance of bio magnetic therapy is based on two main factors. The increasing confirmatory scientific research conducted on the various healing properties of magnets and the absolute weight of communicative evidence.

Research conducted in using magnets for healing the areas of sprains and repetitive strain injury has come out with positive results. Research shows that magnets have an anti-inflammatory effect. How does it happen? Inflammation causes dilation of the blood vessels which is clinically termed as vasodilatation. Placing a magnet next to the skin will result in constriction of the blood vessels which is clinically called vasoconstriction which causes the opposite effect of vasodilatation thus reducing the cause of inflammation. Research also shows that magnetic therapy or use of magnetic

product as proposed by your therapist helps to maintain the ph balance which often gets imbalanced when you are injured or suffering from ill health. In such cases magnets speed up the migration of calcium ion to heal nerves and tissues. The theory that works behind the healing of the injured area explains that an increase in negative electrical potential which carries a negative charge is involved in the process of healing which is indicated as the North Pole by some researcher. Magnetic applications also increase blood circulations and nutrient carrying potency. Research has also been reported that

magnets also help to produce body’s own natural pain killers called endorphins, when nerve fibers are subject to a magnetic field and also produce melatonin a hormone that promotes restful sound sleep. Although these effects has not been conclusively proved yet.

The different magnetic products available for sporting injuries that enhances the well-being and vitality of an individual is possible due to its faster recovery times, no drugs involved, safe and is without any side effects, minimal expert advice is required to use them, inexpensive and reusable. The growing interest from countries including Great Britain, Holland, Canada and the United States apart from Japan, China,India, Australia and Germany shows that though the theory behind the healing property of magnet is still not supported by the scientific community but its effects are felt.



Michelle

Corbin Newlyn asked:


If you are an athlete or exercise frequently, you might go through muscle cramps or fatigue after attempting a new type of exercise routine or if you have been inactive for some time. A sports massage might be just what you would need to make sure your muscles are loosened up and prepared for your next game.

Technique Diversity

If you have already suffered a sports injury, your physical therapist might be using the techniques of sports massage with you. The procedure could be a spa massage as well, which involves deep kneading for the joints and muscles, as well as additional features such as aromatherapy or soft music to calm you down to improve your mood throughout the massage.

Your physical therapist or massage therapist will use a variety of movements during the massage session to help you recover the function of your arms, back and legs. You might also be able to move a little at different stages of your massage, so that your muscles will become more flexible and simpler to control in order to reduce cramping.

Soft tissue massage is also an integral part of the majority of body massages, including sports massage, so you might experience a slight pressure if your injury is relatively new. The massage methods are based on how the musculoskeletal system functions, so that you will be receiving relief for your joints, bones and muscles, which can add to the pressure that you will feel as well.

An Ounce of Prevention

If you get a massage regularly, you might wish to inquire with your massage therapists about preventive measures for sports injuries when you are on the massage table. In the majority of cases, injury prevention can be increased during a “regular” massage, since your massage therapist will very likely massage the muscles that are inclined to “disturb” the most athletes – the top and bottom back, calves and hamstrings.

Sports medicine might also be suggested for you, which means you might need to use some various medications to cut down on the swelling (topical or internal) or to help bruises to heal faster at the same time as your sports massage.

A sports massage can be employed not only to deal with your sports injuries, but massage can also improve your performance as well. The deep kneading, which is used in sports massage can help increase the range of motion in your legs and arms, and perhaps even help you improve the agility and speed during your athletic performance or your workouts. Make sure to talk to your coach, massage therapist or physician about the best body massages for you throughout your next visit in order to improve your health as well as your athletic ability.



Bernice

Matthias Zeitler asked:


Scuba diving is considered by many to be just another recreational sport that implies no risks but only having fun while swimming under water. The truth is that diving offers a lot of benefits to those who practice it but the sport also includes various issues, from accidents that can happen under water to physical conditions. Some may say that scuba diving medicine is a complicated domain but no matter how difficult it can be, the instructors and the divers should be aware of many of the major points that scuba diving medicine brings to our attention.

Our organisms suffer a number of modifications when they are under the waters at various depths. Compression is one of the things you will have to deal with while swimming for scuba diving. From this point of view, the speed of descent and the depth of the diving are very important factors. In order to be properly prepared to visit the world that you can find at various depths under the waters you need to know how to adapt to the conditions that you will find there. You will confront with various water pressures so you must be able to manage with the equipment so you will breathe correspondingly with the depth you are at. The purity of the oxygen you breathe under water should vary according to the depths; otherwise, you can end up by confronting with some unwanted complications.

Scuba diving medicine comes to help with diverse problems and diseases that can affect people who practice the sport while something goes wrong. Affections such as hypoxia can occur when people don’t use the pure-oxygen apparatus in the proper way and it implies a lack of oxygen so the patient is recommended to inhale pure oxygen among other treatments. Hyperoxia caused by the excess of Oxygen or hypercapnia characterized by CO2 toxicity are some other complications that can occur when it comes to compression while scuba diving.

The decompression of dissolved gases can also be a major concern for divers and scuba diving medicine comes with treatment in these cases too. The affection is named the decompression sickness and the symptoms are improved with the help of a chamber for decompression.

The differences of the pressure under water can be very harmful to the diver if he or she is not able to handle the equipment in the proper way or when other complications occur. These are some of the cases where scuba diving medicine does its work. Years of research made the domain reach a point where it can solve many major affections caused by improper scuba diving. Besides the physical state of the individual, the psychological state is important as well as situations such as being panicked under the water can lead to harmful things for that person. for both physical and psychological problems that may occur while practicing this sport, scuba diving medicine can bring the needed solutions.



Juanita

Zahari Ibrahim asked:


play sports, do you know about sport magnetic therapy and how it can help you relieve any pain you are having? There are many people that play sports and end up with various injuries. Most of the times your doctor will give you medicine for the pain and have you do warmth, ice or other kind of treatment to relieve the pain. But if you have pain from a sports injury anymore, you need to learn about magnetic therapy appliances for sportsman.

There are many people that play sports on a regular basis and that means that they end up with injuries of some types on a regular basis. No one likes to be on medicine that makes him or her feel different than they normally do. This is where magnetic therapy for sportsman can help you because it doesn’t require you to take any type of medicine. Instead, you will use a magnet that is used on the outside of your body.

There are many people that are suspicious about sport magnetic therapy and are asking the matter, does magnet therapy work? The answer is that yes, it definitely does work, but you want to talk to your doctor before you use it. There possibly people that can’t apply it for example if you are pregnant, have a pacemaker and a few other things. This doesn’t mostly use to people who play sports though because if you had any of these things then you wouldn’t be allowable to play.

So, if you are skeptical and are asking yourself, does magnet therapy work, then you need to get online and research it, plus talk to your doctor. Progressively doctors are telling their sports patients to use sport magnetic therapy because it will help heal the injury faster than conventional medicines and therapy will. Magnetic therapy for sportsman is magnificent that is going to be around for a long time since of the simple fact that it really does work for anyone.

When you play sports, you know that there will come a time when you get hurt. When that time comes, remember sport magnetic therapy because this will give you pain relief and healing faster than anything else will. So, talk to your doctor and start using magnetic therapy for sportsman when you get hurt. You will be surprised at how effectively and fast it workings. Plus, you will be able to answer the question, does magnet therapy work for anyone that has doubts on your sporting team.

Regina

Alex Levin asked:


Background

A health care profession that dates back to ancient Greece, chiropractic is a hands-on, drug-free therapy that is intended to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal complaints such as back pain, joint pain, sports injuries and headaches. Chiropractic treatment puts special emphasis on the spine under the hypothesis that musculoskeletal disorders affect the body via the nervous system. A chiropractic physician’s primary tools are their hands, which are used to improve joint mobility by applying controlled force. In addition, chiropractors are trained to counsel patients on various aspects of everyday health and lifestyle decisions, including diet and exercise.

The Short Answer:

So is chiropractic a legitimate medical science? Does it work?? The short answer is yes, chiropractic can be an effective, and cost-effective, way to treat certain ailments, as long as you’re being treated by a qualified chiropractor.

The Long Answer:

According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), “chiropractic treatment is both safe and effective” for certain musculoskeletal ailments, including neck pain, headaches, and in particular, back pain. In a study reported in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, patients with chronic lower back pain who went to see chiropractors had quadruple the satisfaction scores of those who were treated by family physicians.

Although chiropractic is becoming more and more accepted in mainstream medicine, it remains a controversial topic. Medical doctors consider chiropractors to be practitioners of Complementary and Alternative Care (CAM), a label chiropractors reject. One of the main reasons chiropractic is so controversial is that some of its practitioners, most notably its founder, D.D. Palmer, believed that all illnesses can be cured through chiropractic treatment. Unfortunately, the science on this just doesn’t pan out. If you come across a chiropractor making similar claims, such as having the ability to treat diabetes solely through chiropractic care, run the other way! According to the National Institute of Health, “the effects of chiropractic treatment on nonspinal conditions, such as high blood pressure or ear infections, have not been scientifically proven.”

Is it Safe?

For the most part, the answer is yes, but any risks depend on the specific type of chiropractic treatment used. For example, side effects from chiropractic adjustments can include temporary headaches, tiredness, or discomfort in parts of the body that were treated. The likelihood of serious complications, such as stroke, appears to be extremely low and related to the type of adjustment performed and the part of the body treated. The risk of complications increases in cervical-spine or neck manipulations and affects 1 out of every 500,000 people.

If you are considering seeing a chiropractor, inform your current health care provider of any treatments you are getting or considering.

When Should I See a Chiropractor?

If you experience unexplained pain or chronic pain (pain that lasts longer than it should) in your joints or muscles, you should see a chiropractor. As a general rule, you should not see a chiropractor if you are not experiencing pain or if you are concerned with an aesthetic flaw, such as abnormal curvature in your neck. Many people do not have a “normal” neck curve, according to Dr. Homola, author of Inside Chiropractic: A Patient’s Guide, and that doesn’t mean they require treatment or that they will develop a problem.

To sum up, chiropractic can be a safe, affordable and effective alternative to conventional medicine for many ailments. However, chiropractic care should ideally be accompanied by medical care to ensure that chiropractic treatment is the best treatment. When you’re being cared for by a chiropractor and an MD, you get the best of both worlds.

The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your primary physician.





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Linda

Healthbase asked:




Sports injuries are inevitable when indulging in physically demanding or contact sports. So much so that there is an altogether separate branch of medicine dedicated to the treatment of sports injuries and is called sports medicine. While minor wounds can heal in a few days or weeks, major ones may require surgical attention. However, just like any other surgery, surgical treatment of sports injuries may be expensive in the United States and other Western countries. But thanks to medical tourism, now these treatments can be obtained for cheap.

Injuries are an inevitable part of playing any sport, be it tennis, squash, football, baseball, hockey, cycling, golf or any other. Just like defeats don’t stop an athlete from moving on, physical injuries should not prevent you from playing sports because there almost always is a way to treat the injury and even major injuries can now be treated affordably through medical tourism.

TYPES OF INJURIES

Sports injuries may range from bruises and muscle strains, to fractures and head injuries. The most common sports injuries are:



Ligament sprains and muscle strains

Swollen muscles

Knee injuries (torn meniscus, runner’s knee or patellofemoral pain syndrome, jumper’s knee, articular surface problems, problems with the kneecap)

Knee ligament injuries (torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), torn posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), torn medial collateral ligament (MCL))

Shoulder injuries (rotator cuff tears, glenoid labrum tear)

Tendon injuries (Achilles tendon injuries, DeQuervain’s syndrome or washerwoman’s sprain or mother’s wrist)

Pain along the shin bone (shin splints)

Bone fractures (scaphoid fracture, hip fracture)

Dislocations (shoulders, fingers, knees, wrists, elbows)

Spine injuries (herniated disk, sciatica, lumbar spinal stenosis)



TREATMENT OPTIONS

To accelerate the overall healing process it’s important that the initial phase (inflammatory phase) of the injury be minimized with the initial treatments. Treatment often begins with the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) regime to relieve pain, reduce swelling and speed healing. Other possible treatments include pain relievers, keeping the injured area from moving, rehabilitation and sometimes surgery.

SURGICAL TREATMENT OF INJURIES

Surgery is recommended when the more conservative methods of healing and physical therapy have failed to relieve pain and restore normal function. Based on the site and extent of injury and evaluation by your doctor, the surgical approach used could be traditional or laparoscopic (keyhole).

The most common surgeries to treat sports-related injuries are:



Knee replacement (total or partial)

ACL repair or reconstruction

Meniscectomy

Arthroscopic surgery (knee arthroscopy, shoulder arthroscopy, spinal arthroscopy, wrist arthroscopy, ankle arthroscopy, hip arthroscopy)

Tendon repair surgery

Laminectomy or laminotomy

Discectomy or microdiscectomy

Bone fracture repair surgery

Hip replacement

Hip hemiarthroplasty

Birmingham hip resurfacing

Spinal decompression surgery



MEDICAL TOURISM AND SURGERY

If you are insured, your insurance may cover the cost of surgery. But if you have to pay for the surgery out of pocket it may cost you a fortune to have the surgery in the US. Therefore, Americans are increasingly shopping for surgical care in other countries – medical tourism – where the cost of surgery is much less while at the same time the quality offered is superior to what is available in the US.

When William Nilsson, an uninsured American, sustained knee injuries while playing football and tore his knee ligaments while playing golf, he resorted to an Indian hospital to get a total knee replacement surgery so he could return to his sports hobbies. Assisted by Healthbase, a medical tourism facilitator based in Boston, he managed to have his surgery for $6,500. The same surgery in the US would have cost him between $30,000 and $40,000.

Similarly, Daniel Biggs broke a tendon in his hand when playing golf. He had his tendon repair surgery coordinated by Healthbase in Panama for which he paid $5,500 – a price that was a mere 20% of what he was quoted in the United States.

These are just two examples of the hundreds and thousands of people traveling overseas to seek affordable health care for sports-related injuries as well as non-sports related conditions. Countries such as Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and India are popular medical tourism destinations for such treatments.

Price differential is the leading factor for the popularity of medical tourism. Other benefits of using medical tourism are access to high quality and immediate care. You may find more information about affordable medical tourism on the Healthbase website.



Antonio

Mark Etinger asked:


New York is one of the most competitive places in the world.   When Frank Sinatra first crooned “if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere” he could have been referring to the business or entertainment communities – where a ticket to the top is paved with hard work, focus and dedication.  Less widely reported is the athletic world of New York.   Countless athletes, both professional and amateur call New York home, and that means the injuries and aches and pains that go with it are present en masse as well.

Luckily, New York sports therapy programs specializing in physiatry and rehabilitation are there to help get these individuals back on the field after they suffered an injury.

How New York Sports Therapy Enhances Performance

Sports physical therapy helps athletes of all ages and skill levels in a number of different ways, including:

Shortening recovery time.   Sports therapy helps injuries heal faster and more effectively, meaning that athletes can get back into competition more quickly.   By providing pinpoint focus on those areas that need treatment, New York physical therapy pro Providing long-term good health.   Proper sports therapy programs build the strength of the individual – meaning that they will be less prone to additional injuries over the rest of their career. Helping individual athletes lengthen their careers. Sports therapy can also act as a kind of “preventative maintenance”, giving athletes the ability to stay competitive for a longer overall period of time. Building confidence.   The body and mind of the athlete work in concert to enable the highest levels of performance.   When the body is right, the mind will follow.  Therefore, better physical health leads to more confidence on the field and off. Natural methods.   One of the biggest problems in sports today is drug use among athletes.   Even when used to aid in the recovery process, drugs (including steroids) can damage the health and well-being of the athlete.  Sports therapy helps individuals achieve wellness using natural methods that harness the power of the body.

The Latest Advances in New York Sports Therapy

New York has always been home to advances in medical treatment.   Some of the finest doctors and hospital facilities in the world are located in the Empire State.   The same holds true for physical therapy, where many of the most modern physical therapy techniques are being used to help athletes heal more effectively – and perform at a higher level.

Trigger point therapy is one of the most prominent ground-breaking methods being used in New York and Brooklyn physical therapy facilities.   Trigger point therapy helps physical therapists focus their attention on the most important problem areas around the affected area.   By placing pressure (using the fingers) to these trigger points, the therapist is able to break the pain cycle and enhance the healing process.

The process, which is also known by the names Myotherapy or Neuromuscular Therapy, has been very successful in treating athletes who are suffering from a number of different physical issues.

Dr. Reuben S. Ingber is one of New York’s leading physiatrists specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation.   Professionals and amateurs from around the city have found relief and enhanced performance capability thank to Dr. Ingber and his Brooklyn physical therapy practice.   For more information about how Dr. Ingber can help you heal – and get back on the field, visit www.dringber.com today.

Bill