Mechanics and Factors associated with muscles injuries

 

Musculotendonous injuries are responsible for a significant proportion of injuries sustained by athletes and participants in recreational activities. Musculotendonous injuries have a high risk of recurrence.

In this article, you will be able to Define and explain correctly the key terms, mention the different classification of muscular injuries, state the mechanism and machines of athletic injuries and Outline the factors responsible for muscle Injury.

 

Definition of Musculotendonous Injuries

Musculotendinous Injuries are responsible for a significant problem of injuries sustained by athletes and participants in recreational activities. Musculotendinous Injuries have a high incidence of recurrence. Almost half of all injuries in certain sports are Musculotendinous in nature, and the majority of Musculotendinous Injuries are acute muscle strain or pull. Muscle strain is a partial or complete tear of the Musculotendon Unit.

Strain do not only result in significant loss of time from sports and other daily activities, but are also a frequent source of pain and impaired performance following return to competition too early, especially in sports demanding great power and speed (Garret, 2003).

Epidemiology Studies have documented frequency and disabling potentials of injuries in many sports.

 

Also read: Closed Injuries – Definition, Examples, Causes, Symptoms and treatment and Prevention of Close Injuries

Classification of muscular injuries

Based on clinical presentation the injuries are classed into types;

TYPE I. Muscle Soreness – Occurs 24 – 48 hrs after an unaccustomed vigorous exercise or extreme exertion delayed on set of muscles soreness – caused by small tear within the muscles tendon unit.

TPEE II. Acute disabling pain from a muscle tear, ranges from tear of a few fibers with fascia remaining intact to complete tearing of muscle and fascia.

TYPE III. Muscle soreness or cramp that occurs during or immediately after exercise astrology is not known but many attribute it to an accumulation of waste products resulting from prolong intensive work.

 

Also read: Some Common Emergency Care Cases

Mechanism and Machines

Muscle tear and strain – excessive tension on contracted muscles. Muscles tear results from violent contrition during an excessively forceful stretch, often associated with failure of synergistic action in conjunction with antagonistic muscle action.

Tension in Musculotendinous unit is related to:

1) Intrusive factor/component – active force production of the muscle itself caused by interaction of the contractile protein – (actin and myosin) and is proportionate to the overlap between thick and thin filaments of Type II – Phasic – more force and TYPE I – less force

2) Extrinsic component – passive force production due to stretch over one or more joints passive component is associated with the connective tissue within the muscle tendon stretched beyond the length where overlap occurs between actin and myosin filaments. Tension which develops in the muscle in response to large stretch is due to the connective rather than the contractive proteins.

Tension which occurs as a result of the active component in an activated muscle must occur within the physiological length of the muscle, but beyond that most of the tension is due to the connective tissues element. Hamstring muscles group injuries are reported to be the most common muscles injuries and they generally occur during sprinting of high speed exercise.

 

Factors Associated with Muscle Injury

1.  Inadequate or no warm-up

2.  Incorrect, inadequate or no stretching

3.  Inflexibility, weakness, strength imbalance

2.  Poor conditioning, overall fatigue localized muscle fatigue, undernourished muscle, muscle weakness due to scarring from a previous injury, steroid injections excess or unexpended cool down.

Almost half of all sports injuries are musculotendinous origin and the majority of musculotendinous injures are a cute muscle strains or pulls.

Strains do not only result in significant loss of time from sports and other daily activities, but are also a frequent source of pain and impaired performance following a rehabilitation back to competition, especially in sports demanding great power and speed.

 

Read on: Athletic Injuries/Open Wound – Definition, Classification, Examples, Causes, Symptoms and treatment and Prevention

Conclusion on Musculotendinous Injuries - Classification Mechanism, Mechanics and Factors associated with muscles injuries

Having successfully completed the self-assessment test, it is assumed that you have learnt the information in this article.

Major causes of muscular injuries have been highlighted in the text, but good conditioning and good living together with proper warm-up before your activity, for the day will be very helpful in reducing or preventing muscular injuries.