Occupational Therapy Strain Injuries

The author of “4 Amazing Stretches for Injury Prevention” Caitlyn Carlson says, “The therapist uses their body as leverage to create traction and gently moves your limbs in a wave-like motion” (Carlson). The physical therapist will focus on treating and strengthening the injured area or muscle while trying to prevent the injury from getting worse. The massage therapist will massage and relax the injured area to help the body to not feel the pain of the injury as bad as the initial pain was. After females encounter an injury, a helpful way to treat it is to go to a therapist and get them to stretch out any stiff muscles that can cause many further injuries. Females need to work on their muscles and get them stretched when injured. Getting a plan from the therapist to do this at home can also help prevent any future injuries.

An injury to the ACL is classified as a sprain. A sprain is a joint injury that causes a stretch or a tear in a ligament. Sprains are graded I, II, or III depending on how severe the injury is. A grade I sprain will have pain with minimal damage to the ligaments. A grade II sprain is going to have more ligament damage and mild looseness of the joint. Finally, in a grade III sprain, the ligament is completely torn and the joint is very loose or unstable. A grade III sprain, simply called an ACL tear, is most often a sports-related injury. Still, The ACL can be torn in other instances such as during rough play, vehicular collisions, falls, and work –related injuries. According to a study performed by Jonathan Cluett, M.D., about 80% of sports-related ACL tears are “non-contact” injuries. This means that the injury does not result from any contact with another athlete. A rupture to the ACL is the result of the ligament within the knee being overstretched. This is usually caused by a “plant-pivot” mechanism (a stop and twist motion) of the knee, or a blunt force to the front of the knee. Other factors include quick changes of motion, twisting or torquing, or landing from a jump. Hyperextension is most

The outcome of occupational therapy intervention is “supporting health and participation in life through engagement in occupation.’’ The types of occupational therapy interventions include occupation based intervention, purposeful activity and preparatory methods, consultation, education, and advocacy. Intervention approaches are the strategies that direct the process of intervention and these include create/promote, establish/restore, maintain, modify, and prevent disability.

Life can change in a split second when an unanticipated injury or disease hinders someone’s normal daily life. Modern medicine, physicians and families can only do so much but physical therapy can help recoup the life many of us take for granted. It often isn’t until we lose something that we as humans realize what we had such as the value of our body’s ability to take us through each day. A physical therapist is the person who stays with a patient for the duration of the rehabilitation process. A physical therapist leads the patient through the process of regaining physical strength and helps the patient regain control of their future. Much like many careers that involve interaction with individuals, physical therapy reaches beyond

OrthoOklahoma is an orthopedic medical clinic with a physical therapy branch that provides outpatient physical therapy care. The facility has a staff of three licensed physical therapists and a physical therapy assistant along with four physical therapy techs. I was able to observe all three physical therapists, Megan Ripley, Joe Ogle and Ken Roberts. At OrthoOklahoma, the most common patients are post-surgery from repairs of muscles, bones or joints. While shadowing these therapists, I observed cases of total knee replacement, total hip replacement, ACL/meniscus repair, rotator cuff repair, frozen shoulder, labrum repair, and other ailments from wear-and-tear and aging. This experience allowed me to talk to physical therapists about the ins and outs of their job, learn about different exercises and routines for treatment of injuries, and really get an idea of the work it takes to become a well-respected physical therapist.

You may need surgery if other treatments do not help, have recurring instability in the elbow, or if you have a complete tear of the UCL. After surgery you will have to wear a cast or splint and eventually have physical

A sprain is where there is a tear in the ligaments. For example if you roll your ankle while running this would cause a tear in your ligaments resulting in a sprained ankle.

Common type of sprains would be in the ankle and in the wrist. The ankle is one of the most common injuries in professional and recreational sports and activities. Most ankle sprains happen when the foot abruptly turns inward or outward as an athlete runs, turns, falls, or lands after a jump. One or more of the lateral ligaments can be injured if this occurs. Wrists are often sprained after a fall in which the athlete lands on an outstretched hand.

With an ever increasing number of people becoming involved with athletic activities, there is an increasing number of injuries occurring which can be devastating for the individual. Most of the injuries that affect athletes occur in one of four structures in the human body: bones, muscles, tendons, or ligaments. Because ligaments attach bone to bone and play a major part in providing stability for joints, the major stabilizing ligament in the knee, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), assists in performing everyday actions of the human body including sitting, standing, walking, running, dancing, and participating in other sports. The injury that specifically affects this ligament is very serious and always

Female athletes can protect themselves through many stretches and prevention programs provided by their coaches, parents and Athletic Trainers. Many ACL tears can be protected by warm- up or cool-down programs or stretching (Ritter). The solution to preventing some of the ACL injuries is a strength and flexibility programs to strengthen the hamstrings, quadriceps and the core while stabilizing the knee (Busse). Working on the athlete’s techniques such as running, jumping and landing techniques can vastly improve their chances of ACL strength and would help prevent against tears (Malamut). Using an ACL prevention program teaches athletes how to align their hips for correct form and how to jump correctly without pain and without being knock-knee.

Physical Therapists provide rehabilitation for injuries and help maintain stability. “Some history of Physical Therapist formed their first professional association in 1921 called the American Women’s physical therapeutic association. In the late 1940s, the association had changed its name to the American Physical Therapy Association. Physical Therapy was developed when the association’s membership swelled to 8,000 and the number of physical therapy education programs across the US increased from 16 to 39”(“APTA History”). Although many people may think being a physical therapist is hard because of the qualifications needed, the daily work, salary, and needs of the service have drawn my attention to the field.

Sprains are injuries to ligaments that connect bones to the joint. During sports there is a wear and tear of these ligaments. Over stretching may cause tear in the muscles fibers or tendons. Sometimes sport injuries can be prevented and sometimes they cannot be prevented. Muscle fatigue takes away some of the protective mechanism also increasing risk of all injuries.

about how splints are made and the variety of splints a hand therapist can make. Having

A twenty-one year old female, basketball player experienced an ankle sprain by accidentally stepping on another player’s foot. The player was going up to make a shot landed on the opponents foot when she came back down, which made her ankle invert. The head athletic trainer evaluated her then taped her ankle to provide support and keep the swelling to a minimum at that time, so the player could return to play. Immediately after the game, the player’s ankle was iced down to control the swelling and was receiving NSAID’s to help with the pain or discomfort she was feeling. The player was referred to the team physician for x-rays and MRI to help rule out fractures. Treatment was started to help relieving the swelling and pain.

Physical therapy has grown increasing more useful as the years’ progress and more is learned about the human body and its movements, interactions, and mechanisms. Someone may go to physical therapy for injury, recovery, in order to maintain function, or even due to a stroke and is trying to work on walking again. Patients of a physical therapist can include, but is not limited to, elderly, children, accident victims, athletes, those with conditions such as arthritis or fractures, etc. The possibilities are endless for potential physical therapy patients (Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences).