This weeks' edition of Chris' Corner will cover a subject some of you may be wondering about. What is it that is going on when you see or hear about athletes lying on treatment tables with wires coming off their bodies? What is being applied to them are various therapeutic modalities. Specifically in this case either electrical stimulation or ultrasound. How do these help? In various ways. One of the most common applications of electrical stimulation (e-stim) involves pain control. By introducing an electrical current you stimulate sensory nerve endings which deliver their message to the brain faster than nerves that send pain messages. In this way, at least temporarily, you control the pain associated with an injury. Other e-stim waveforms can be used to help control/eliminate swelling or to introduce medication into the body. Ultrasound works differently. It can be used as a deep heating modality, reaching tissues as deep as 5cm and increasing tissue temperature 4 degrees Celsius or more in a relatively short amount of time. This is useful in increasing local blood flow and increasing tissue extensibility, think getting ultrasound before activity. Ultrasound also has non-thermal properties though. These include stimulation of white blood cells, called phagocytes, to remove dead and damaged cells at the site of injury, stimulation of repair cells, called fibroblasts, to begin laying down new tissue and increasing cell membrane permeability thereby allowing cells to function more efficiently. The non-thermal properties of ultrasound are very useful when applied to an acute or sub-acute injury. As an Athletic Trainer you must guard against falling into "cookbook" applications of these modalities. Just as no two injuries are exactly the same, you must take the time to think about what you are trying to accomplish with modalities and manipulate your treatment parameters to achieve the greatest effect.
Wow, that was fun! Now on to the court. Unfortunately, the team saw their amazing win streak stopped by Tampa this week but were able to regroup and get back to business against Eckerd. A few scares this week in my world, both involving fingers. Luckily, however, as has been our good fortune this season no one had to miss playing time. The seniors said goodbye to their home court for the last four years this week. They couldn't ask for a better season to culminate their college careers. Michelle, Brittany and Chelsea, it's been a privilege taking care of you the last two years. Thanks for making me feel like a part of your team (and for your kind words and special gift at the senior match!). Now let's finish it off with a conference and national championship!
Hang on for the stretch run, it's going to be a blast! See you next time on Chris' Corner.
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