Kinesitherapy and Sports

Introduction

Physical activity has drastically increased in recent days to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Most people prefer sports rather than exercise. Sport is a double-edged sword regarding health, with both positive and negative impacts. It primarily improves the physical status of the body but has a major risk of injury. A life-changing situation can arise with sports persons due to trauma or diseases. Some athletes reported exercise-induced gastrointestinal problems during training sessions. But currently, the development of sports massage therapy has helped in the rehabilitation of sports people by increasing joint mobility and strengthening weak muscles.

What Is Kinesiology?

Kinesiology is the study of body movements with an evaluation of the action of muscles, joints, and skeletal structures.

What Is Kinesitherapy?

Kinesitherapy (kinesis-movement, therapy-treatment) is a pathogenic therapy for movement disorders (dyskinesia or hypokinesia) caused by neuro-muscular disease due to prolonged bed rest. It is also known as kinesiotherapy or “physical rehabilitation” or “curative gymnastics.” Kinesiotherapy is often performed by kinesitherapeutes to aid in relaxing the contracted muscle and soothing the overall body with mechanotherapy (motor exercise).

There are two types of kinesiotherapy:

• Active kinesiotherapy.

• Passive kinesiotherapy.

1. Active Kinesiotherapy:

Active kinesiotherapy is performed in conscious patients who independently perform suggested movements such as exercise, aerobics, yoga, and walking with some activity to strengthen the neuro-muscular function. It is commonly indicated at the late stage of rehabilitation. Active therapy is further divided into:

• With assistance (exercise performed with the help of a person or a device).

• Without assistance.

• Exercises with resistance (by overcoming the obstacles).

2. Passive Kinesiotherapy:

• Passive kinesiotherapy is applied to patients with restricted joint movement and is hence performed with the help of others, like a therapeutist or caretaker, or by some device that aids in performing the certain movement.

Who Is a Kinesitherapeutist?

Kinesitherapeutist is like a physiotherapist with the knowledge of kinesiology to treat the patients' overall health. While a physiotherapist focuses on treating a particular area, kinesitherapeutist mainly works on skeletal muscles to improve posture.

The target area of kinesiotherapy is:

• Shoulder.

• Neck and back muscles.

• Elbow joint and arm muscles.

• Wrist and hand muscles.

• Knee joint.

• Muscles of hip and pelvis.

• Lower leg muscle.

What Are the Duties of a Kinesitherapeutist?

• Evaluating the function of the heart.

• Overviewing of exercise-induced stress.

• Individualized treatment planning to enhance fitness and flexibility or to prevent further injury.

• Guidance in regaining athletic performance.

What Is the Role of Kinesitherapy in Sports?

Trauma is the major risk factor of sports. Hence local injuries are common among sportspersons. A recent study shows an increased prevalence of traumatic injuries in basketball, baseball, hockey, volleyball, football, artistic gymnastic, swimming, and skating, often resulting in ligament disruption, fracture, or displacement leading to impaired motor function or immobility. Here kinesiotherapy plays a vital role in functional rehabilitation with possible physical movement upon recovery based on the needs of athletes and their activity.

What Are the Therapeutic Effects of Kinesitherapy?

The therapeutic effects of kinesiotherapy are:

• Restoration of muscle strength and elasticity.

• Pain reduction.

• Improved cardiac and muscular activity.

• Emotional stability.

• Increased mobility in the joints to promote motor activity.

Who Is an Ideal Candidate for Kinesiotherapy?

The ideal candidate is the one who experiences:

• Pain.

• Immobility.

• Lack of strength.

• Lack of muscular endurance.

• Loss of musculoskeletal functional integrity.

Who Is Not an Ideal Candidate?

Kinesiotherapy is contraindicated immediately after surgery, where the motion disrupts the healing process. It is advised to avoid kinesiotherapy in patients with muscular inflammation, fever, or active infection.

How Long Does Kinesitherapy Take To Work?

It differs from person to person based on the sports specialization of traumatized athletes. It takes a minimum of three to five sessions a week to get noticeable changes.

The therapy is organized into four sequential stages within a period of 6 to 21 days.

Stage 1: Inflammatory Response:

• Duration: up to six days.

• Treatment Strategy: Transition from painful passive therapy to painless active exercise with the use of manipulation, manual therapy, and physical modalities at intervals of three to five times a day.

Stage 2: Repairative Phase:

• Duration: 14 to 21 days.

• Treatment Strategy: Both passive and active motion are used with manual resistance provided by the caretaker or therapist. At the same time, the patient acts against the resistance without causing any joint or muscle pain.

Stage 3: Regenerative Phase:

• Duration: 21 days to 12 weeks.

• Treatment Strategy: Externally resisted active motion with the help of dumbbells, elastic tubing, exercise equipment, or even the patient's body weight. Exercise performed in pain-free motion with or without assistance.

Stage 4: At-Program:

• Treatment results in functional balance, proprioceptive sense, and muscular strength with a wide range of motion. Overall, the patient can perform the sport with specific skills.

What Is Respiratory Kinesitherapy?

Respiratory kinesitherapy is a breathing exercise that plays an important role in regulating lung function by normalizing the frequency of breathing and simultaneously strengthening the respiratory muscles to get rid of respiratory dysfunction.

How Does Kinesiotherapy Work on Locomotor Rehabilitation?

The locomotor apparatus include joints, nerves, muscles, and ligaments responsible for posture and movements like running, skipping, jumping, side-stepping, and leaping. Kinesiotherapy focuses on repetitive, task-oriented training and a goal-oriented plan with a sequence of interventions.

• Improvement in stability.

• Transferring from a sitting to a standing position with or without an assistant.

• Standing with balance, with or without an assistant.

• Stepping forward, backward, sideward, and turning.

• Cross-stepping.

• Braiding.

• Walking over and around the objects (obstacle course).

• Climbing stairs.

• Running.

• Falling and transposition from floor to standing.

• Walking for long distances.

• Walking at varying speeds.

• Stepping on the treadmill.

• Strategies to minimize abnormal movement patterns.

• Strategies to improve aerobic endurance.

Application of Kinesitherapy?

Kinesiotherapy has been widely applied to several conditions:

• Cervical spondylosis (an age-related condition affecting the spinal disks in the neck).

• Lumbar syndrome (a rare condition affecting the lower extremities).

• Joint pain (elbow, wrist, knee, and ankle).

• Osteoporosis (a condition in which bones become weak and brittle).

• Scoliosis and kyphosis (abnormal curvature of the spine).

Conclusion

According to orthopedic research, kinesiotherapy is the most accepted treatment and is practiced all over the world. It is the core element of physiotherapy to relieve body pain and to improve muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility. The success of therapy is based on proprioception, customization, an evidence-based muscle training program, strategic analysis, and treatment planning.