There is a new delivery of the articles that, like every month, María Palacios Vela will offer to the readers of Padel World Press. On this occasion, the expert in Occupational Therapy with the specialty of Physical Rehabilitation and Adaptation of the Environment will talk about the use of machinery to treat the most frequent injuries that occur in this wonderful sport.
Padel World Press .- The paddle is one of the most complete and fun sports but, in turn, one of the most harmful. Being accessible to all types of audiences, who can start playing from the first day they acquire their shovels, I consider it important and basic to know a little about the system that exists today in treatment centers with specific equipment and, In that way, avoid false beliefs.
Infrared
It is the simplest device. Sometimes, it is considered as the most common and is used, in some circumstances, as a placebo. Its structure consists of an electronic equipment composed of a reflector and a socket, in which the infrared bulb is located. Its low complexity often causes patients to distrust its effectiveness.
Infrared is a heat radiation in a certain area. It is usually used to heat the affected area before performing the massage. Like other sources of heat, it causes analgesia and has decontracting action.
The type procedure is as simple as its mechanism. The lamp should be placed at an estimated distance of one meter from the area to be treated, although it will always depend on the intensity of the focus. The feeling it produces is comfortable. However, avoid excessive applications that cause burns (something that is not usually usual). Its healing properties are very limited. To summarize, one could say that it is equivalent to the electric blanket: it relieves pain but it does not cure it, since it only acts superficially.
Microwave oven
This device generates heat in deeper areas and presents greater complexity. Its intensity is adjustable depending on the tissue to be treated and is contraindicated in patients with prostheses, pacemakers and pregnant women due to its intrinsic functioning. Being a system that transmits a time of waves that reheat metals can cause alterations in the information of the fetus.
The effect it produces is mainly heat. Unlike infrared radiation, the surface sensation may be of a mild heat. Its effects are perceived in more internal areas of tissues, being directly proportional to its intensity.
It is a very effective aid in recovery from injuries, especially in contractures. It is usually applied during time intervals between 7 and 15 minutes. It is placed a few centimeters from the patient's prudent distance and generates a pleasant sensation.
You
It is one of the most used devices and is presented, like the others, in different models. Its commercialization and wide distribution makes it a very common element and, for this reason, it is usually used incorrectly when it is applied by non-professional users.
As mentioned, the huge number of models and prices can confuse the user ... And there are huge differences depending on the chosen device.
The tension causes a tingling sensation, a slight cramp. It acts on the nerve fibers that our body has to transmit the sensation of pain, inhibiting discomfort. Its main function is analgesic.
A high-end device can be very useful for treating pain in a certain area. However, its effects are very low in case of choosing a low-end model.
Due to its characteristics, the time of use of this device can be almost unlimited although, if it is extended too much, the tingling sensation is lost. Depending on the characteristics of the injury, it could range from 10 minutes to have it on all night.
Ultrasound
It is an apparatus that produces mechanical vibrations, which propagate only by a solid or liquid medium. It is a type of current that has the capacity to act in depth. Its two main actions are anti-inflammatory and analgesic.
For its application, a medium is required that transmits the wave between the head and the device to the skin. It is usually used a specific gel for this type of applications and, in turn, there is also the possibility of application in aquatic environment, thanks to the ability of water to easily transmit this type of vibration. The application time is variable. Normal, between 4 and 10 minutes.
Magnetotherapy
It is a non-invasive technique without side effects, which acts as a cellular regenerator and stimulates natural healing processes. It is a technique used by great athletes.
The biological changes in the tissues that originate due to the action of the pulsed magnetic field at low frequency can be used very positively in a whole series of health problems. The treatment times will depend on the area to be treated. They will oscillate between the 10 and the 60 minutes.
Interreferential currents
It is an apparatus whose development is more complex than the previous ones, since it is based on the principle of depolarization of the nerve fiber through waves. Its cost is very high, in relation to the previous ones. The treatment times will be, according to the pathology to be treated, from the 10 to the 20 minutes.
I hope that this exhibition will clarify certain doubts about the use of specific devices in the world of rehabilitation. Do not forget that most of the centers already have the devices programmed and do not usually leave them so the treatment could always improve but, due to lack of time, it is standardized.
María Palacios Vela
ERGOS Functional Rehabilitation
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