Sports Rehabilitation Modalities

Sports Rehabilitation Modalities

by

Peter Burton

Sports therapy is recognized for its ability to return natural movement to impaired joints and muscles that have suffered traumatic injuries. When most people think of sports therapy, they usually associate it with a series of exercise techniques that are designed to encourage that natural movement. While targeted exercising is a hallmark of sports therapy, there are also a series of pain relieving methods that assist in the healing and overall well being of the patient. These treatments, known as modalities, are defined as methods of applying heat, cold, electricity, and even sound to parts of the body. Each method is responsible for inducing a desired effect such as influencing circulation, decreasing pain, and reducing inflammation. Modalities are their most effective when used in conjunction with exercising, and are very rarely the only form of treatment after suffering from an injury.

As previously mentioned, modalities can influence the circulation in the body one way or another. When heat is applied, it results in an increase of local circulation about 1cm below the surface of the skin. For a more intensive heat treatment, ultrasound is the best option. The powerful, ultrafast sound waves are not only used in hospitals to view unborn babies; sports therapy harnesses the waves to produce deep heat with ultrafast vibration. Using a specialized machine, sound waves can penetrate 3cm beneath the skin. Using heat for stimulation helps to relax the muscles, increase stretchiness, and improve localized circulation around the impairment.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is cold application. Many people are familiar with the use of ice to manage pain after sporting events, so it should be no surprise that sports rehabilitation incorporates cold treatment. Known in physical therapy as cryotherapy, the main goals are to reduce both pain and circulation. Decreasing the circulation is a better option than applying heat to increase circulation when your objective is to decrease swelling. Cold application to swollen areas keeps fluid from building up during the inflammatory process.

Sports physical therapy also uses electrical stimulation modalities. As a powerful modality for pain reduction, sports therapy often provides several forms of electrical stimulation. Highly controlled electrical impulses are delivered to the skin surface through adhesive electrodes. The electrodes are manually applied to distinct locations designated for stimulation. These locations target specific nerve receptors in the skin that override the sensation of pain when introduced to the light electrical pulses. In addition to pain relief, those same electrical pulses can be used to produce muscle contractions. Sports physical therapy takes advantage of these contractions for muscle reeducation to help muscles regain strength and control after injury.

These modalities are an example of some of the non-exercise related methods used on patients in sports rehabilitation. There are numerous other pain relieving techniques, including acupuncture and massages, which keep the patient comfortable and confident in the treatment process.

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