Anatomy and Sports Therapy: Key Concepts
Anatomical Terms
Medial: towards the midline. Proximal: near to. Flexion: bending of a joint, reducing its angle. Contralateral: opposite side of the body. Sagittal plane: dividing the body into left and right portions.
Skeletal System Facts
Comprised of: bones, cartilage, joints. Supports and protects the body. Bones provide sites of attachment for muscles. Structure and shape of components facilitates body posture and movement (206 bones). 2 types of bone: compact and cancellous. Classifications of bone: long, short, irregular, sesamoid and flat. Bone contains marrow cells, which form much of the body’s blood cells. Activity, exercise, lifestyle and accidents all have profound effect upon the development and strength of bone. 3 types of cartilage: hyaline, fibro and elastic. 3 types of joint: fibrous, cartilaginous and synovial. 6 types of synovial joints: ball and socket, pivot, condyloid, gliding, hinge and saddle. It also has: a joint capsule, capsular ligaments, synovial membrane, synovial fluid and articular cartilage.
Muscle Types
Differences between striated, smooth and cardiac muscle: Striated muscle: also known as voluntary or skeletal muscle. Responsible for the maintenance of posture and performance of co-ordinated body movement. Smooth muscle: also known as involuntary muscle. Involuntary actions as the movement of digestive products, the regulation of organ volumes and the vasoconstriction and vasodilatation of blood vessels. Cardiac muscle: also known as heart muscle. Is a specialized contractile tissue found only in the heart.
Nervous System Components
Components of the nervous system: The nervous system is basically comprised of the central, peripheral and autonomic nervous systems. The main components are the brain, spinal cord, 12 pairs of cranial nerves, 31 pairs of spinal nerves, the special sense organs and the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the ANS. The functional nerve cell is the neuron, which propagates the nerve impulses. Each impulse is conducted neuron to neuron via a chemical neurotransmitter substance, the most common being acetylcholine.
Organs of Respiration
Organs of respiration: nose and mouth, pharynx, larynx, trachea, lungs, bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli. The major muscles of respiration are the diaphragm and the intercostals. The main accessory muscles are the scalene, sternocleidomastoid, pectoralis minor, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominus and transversus abdominus.
Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Somatotypes
Diagnosis: the definite nature of the presenting problem; a considered opinion based upon a series of assessment methods. Prognosis: the probable duration, progress and outcome of the presenting problem. Symptom: a subjective finding provided by the subject relating to their perception of the problem. Somatype: the very basic categorization of a person’s body type: ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph.
Sports Therapist Equipment
Equipment for sports therapist: Consultation form, physical assessment form, goniometer, dynamometer, couch, plumb-line, camera, exercise mat, anthropometer, treadmill.
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Injuries
Intrinsic and extrinsic injuries: Intrinsic causes: of injury are those of an individual, anatomical or pathological nature. Extrinsic causes: of injury are those resulting from external factors, such as training errors.
Soft-Tissue Injury Healing Stages
The 3 stages of soft-tissue injury healing: 1-Acute inflammatory phase: this phase is the body’s initial reaction to injury. Typically producing redness, swelling, warmth, pain and resulting in impaired function, it lasts for the first 3 to 5 days following the trauma. 2-Cellular proliferation phase: this phase of healing, where new tissue is laid down at the injury site, typically lasts for around 2 to 5 weeks, following on from the inflammatory phase. 3-Remodeling phase: this final phase, where the new tissue gains its strength through structural organization, usually continues for several months.
Injury Assessment Questions
Questions: What happened? Did you feel anything unusual at the time of injury? What position were you in? How did you land or fall? Where does it hurt now? Does it hurt when you move? Does it hurt anywhere else? Do you feel any other sensations? Have you ever injured this area before? What day is it today? Who are your opponents today? What is the score?
Sports vs. Remedial Massage
Difference between sports massage and remedial massage: Sports massage: is the systematic manual manipulation of the soft-tissue, designed to produce specific responses in the athlete and improve their performance. Is used in training, preparation, recovery and injury management. Remedial massage: is a closely related physical therapy method that incorporates a selection of well-documented manual techniques which have been developed to improve certain ailments or conditions, and in particular musculo-skeletal problems.
Flexibility Definition
Flexibility: can be defined by the range of movement an individual demonstrates at a joint or series of joints. It can be described as the ease of adaptation into altered positions, and therefore it is often associated with the amount or quality of extensibility in the soft-tissue. Flexibility may also be explained in terms of the individual’s mobility or suppleness, and the associated pliability, extensibility, elasticity or plasticity of their soft-tissue. The degree of flexibility an individual has can be measured, and is gauged against accepted norms.