Question

Review the following case study and answer questions relating to common musculoskeletal injuries. You may need to refer to several resource documents such as your Sports Massage manual,

Case Study

Kate is a 29 year old busy young mum with 3 children and working part-time as an administration assistant. As part of her overall fitness and wellness program she decides to commence marathon running with the intention to compete in a half marathon in several months’ time. Kate is not an experienced runner although she used to do running at school and also played netball. She is slightly overweight, which is another motivation factor for her exercise program. She enlists you as her massage therapist for the duration of her training and competition phase. You see Kate on a weekly basis Wednesday nights for training and conditioning maintenance massage focusing on her legs, feet and back area and on Saturday mornings you provide immediate pre event and immediate post event massage following her intensive running schedules. Three weeks into the training program Kate strains her left hamstring muscle. Following recovery from the muscle strain Kate continues to train regularly and resumes her pre injury training schedule. However the hard surface running is taking a toll on her feet and anterior compartment muscles and she has recently begun experiencing pain in the tibialis muscle area. On referral it is determined that Kate also has a history of left ankle instability and would benefit from taping to this area.

QUESTION 1

If you are treating Kate pre-event, how should you perform the following factors for your massage treatment:

Drag, Direction, Speed, Duration?

QUESTION 2

If you are treating Kate post-event, how should you perform the following factors for your massage treatment:

Drag, Direction, Speed, Duration?

QUESTION 3

Describe the pathophysiology of a muscle strain including the predisposing factors and signs and symptoms felt by the client.

QUESTION 4

Describe the immediate treatment for a muscle strain including the advice you would provide to Kate?

QUESTION 5

When is massage indicated following a muscle strain? What kind of Massage is indicated, include specific and appropriate techniques, timing and frequency of application to be implemented?

QUESTION 6

What corrective exercises and self-management techniques can be provided to Kate? What referral practitioners may need to be consulted and why?

Answer 1

#1.PRE-EVENT MASSAGE: Massage is used commonly to treat pre-event before exercises. A massage before exercise helps to reduce tight muscles and is performed prior to their sports events. Vigorous stroke and alternating stroke applications is used quickly and the duration usually lasts for 10-30 minutes. #2. POST-EVENT MASSAGE: as the name implies it is performed after a sports event. In this post-event massage treatment, less pressure is used and the speed of application is slower. This helps to increase the blood circulation and therefore to speeding up the recovery process. Light to moderate stretching is applied in post-event. #3.PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF MUSCLE STRAIN: A strain injury usually occurs in eccentric contraction ( when the contracting muscle is lenghthened thus increasing suscepitibility to injury. The three phases of muscle strain includes a) destruction phase b) repair phase and c) remodelling phase. DESTRUCTION PHASE: characterized by the rupture and necrosis, forms hematoma between the ruptured muscles and inflammatory cell reaction. REPAIR PHASE: consists of phagocytosis of the necrotized tissue, regeneration and formation of connective tissue in the injured area. REMODELLING PHASE: myofibres mature, the scar tissues and the capacity of muscle fibres contracts and recovers. PREDISPOSING FACTORS: can be caused by a)running, jumping or throwing b) lifting of heavy objects c) poor conditioning of muscles and d) improper warm-up . SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: The signs and symptoms will vary depending on the severity of injuries. They includes a) pain in the area b) swelling c) muscle spasms and d) limited movements by the affected muscles. #4.APPROPRIATE TREATMENT : Regular stretching and strengthening exercises helps to miniize the risk of muscle spasm in Kate. #5. Massages reduces the muscle spasm and includes a) deep tissue massage ( to reduce overexertion) and remedial massage ( to reduce muscular fatigue) #6.SELF CARE: a)administration of pain killers likr ibuprofen to reduce pain. b) use ice pack application for 48-72hours.