What treatments are used and what is included in the sessions all depends of the nature of the condition. Common activities include massage therapy, stretching and exercising and the use of technology such as lasers and ultrasound. Hydrotherapy and electrotherapy sessions may also be included in the treatment programme.
During the initial treatment, at the beginning of the two weeks, the physio may carry out a series of tests. Electrotherapeutic modalities are tests such as using a TENS device, commonly used to reduce pain in pregnancy, and ultrasounds, also used in pregnancy. The TENS machine created low currents which is then transferred to the skin via electrodes and it carry out the same function as in pregnancy, it helps to decrease pain
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Massage therapy shouldn’t be carried out in the acute stage post injury, if the sprain is only first degree it can take from 48hours to a week before massage therapy can be carried out. This is due to the massage causing increased bleeding, prolonging the healing process. By including it several weeks into the treatment this should avoid excess bleeding. There are different types of massages that are used as techniques to help the healing process. Effleurage is a massage in which involves oils to warm the muscle area so that it is ready for a deeper massages. Petrissage helps to loosen the muscle fibres, this technique involves kneading the injured area, one hand pulling one way and the other hand pulling the other way. Stripping the muscle, this helps to remodel the scar tissue by the thumb working deep on the muscle in the direction of the blood flow. Lastly Circular frictions can be applied, this helps to break down scar tissue and realign in. This type of massage helps to smooth out tight muscle knots so that the patient is comfier and more …show more content…
This is so that the hamstring will gain back flexibility and elasticity while healing as well as strength. Exercises to help stretch the muscle at the beginning of the treatment may include the straight leg hamstring stretch. This should be felt in the back of the leg but it shouldn’t be painful. The aim of this stretch is to get a little elasticity to the healing tissue. The stretch should be repeated twice a day in 3 sets of 10 seconds. Another excise that could be carried out in the bent leg hamstring stretch. This should help to stretch the muscle fibres closer to hip, instead of the knee like the other exercise. Performing this stretch twice a day as well and performing 3 sets of 10 seconds should help to elasticise the fibres at the top of the hamstring. This should not be painful.
To strengthen the hamstring there are many different exercises that will slowly have a strengthening impact on the muscle but won’t push it so much that the healing process is set back. A basic strengthening exercise is the seated hamstring curl. This is when the patient places and secures a resistant band to their foot and the other end is either held or attached to a fixed point. They would then pull their heel into their buttocks meaning the hamstring muscle will contract. To begin with the patient should aim to carry out 3 sets of 8 reps and then build the amount