Orthopedics and Traumatology Specialist Op. states that the healing process in soft tissue injuries consists of four stages and that if protein is missing in the athlete's nutrition list, the healing process will slow down. Dr. Ziya Postalcı gave information about soft tissue injuries in athletes.
The understanding of the healing potential of knee soft tissue injuries in athletes and the awareness that each tissue heals differently has been better demonstrated, especially with the developments in the field of biochemistry.
To understand athlete knee injuries, it is necessary to first classify normal tissues. Normal connective tissue; It consists of water, collagen, proteoglycan, elastin and adhesive proteins, while cartilage tissue can be divided into 3 groups: hyaline cartilage, fibrous cartilage and elastic cartilage. In addition, morphologically soft tissues can be divided into three groups: dense, loose and adhesive. In this morphological classification, the most important group that concerns us surgeons is the dense connective tissues. These include ligaments, tendons and joint capsules.
Soft tissue healing is a structural progress that takes place in a very coordinated manner over a certain period of time. Different tissues have different healing potentials. The healing cycle is a structural renewal process consisting of 4 phases that takes place over a period of months to years. It starts with the phase of bleeding and cover formation and ends with the stages of inflammation, progression and finally reconstruction.
If we examine the stages one by one;
The covering/sheath of the tissue after hemorrhage It occurs to varying extents depending on factors such as formation potential, temperature, and blood supply. This formation triggers many mechanisms and initiates the inflammatory phase.
During the inflammatory phase, inflammatory factors are released in the trauma area. In this stage, which we notice with the eye as redness, swelling and increased temperature, the inflammatory cells that attack the microscopically damaged area try to clear the dead cells formed after the injury.
The 3rd stage, which we call progress, cannot be distinguished from the 2nd stage by eye. However, microscopically, in this stage, new cell formations occur through the progression of many mechanisms.
The last stage, the restructuring/formation stage, depends on tissue types. e It is the phase that lasts from 1-2 months to 1-2 years.
External factors affecting healing;
A) When an injury occurs, the age of the patient affects the healing. It is indisputable that it is the most important factor, but its mechanism is unclear.
B) The patient's metabolic state and lifestyle, which we call systemic factors, are another important factor that accelerates or slows down recovery.
C) Nutrition style is also another important factor. plays an important role. In an injured athlete who consumes a protein-deficient diet, the resistance to inflammation is broken and recovery is delayed. Additionally, uncontrolled carbohydrate and fat intake visibly disrupts the inflammation and regeneration stages, especially in a diabetic person. Additionally, wound infections are a common complication in these people. Essential fatty acids are necessary for wound healing. Lack of water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C disrupts cartilage and collagen formation and reduces resistance to infections. In addition, fat-soluble vitamin A plays an active and important role in collagen synthesis. Additionally, elements such as zinc play an active role in accelerating healing.
D) Studies conducted on biomechanical factors have shown that an active and mobile joint heals faster than an immobile and inactive joint.
E ) In studies conducted as a biochemical factor, it has been revealed that the recovery of re-injury of previously injured tissues is both later and weaker.
In the light of all this information, the recovery of the injured area after sports injuries, whether through surgery or non-surgical treatments, is shown to be restored to its former strength. It has been proven by clinical studies that it would be correct not to return to sports before reaching the end of the game and to undergo a rehabilitation period of at least 12 weeks for the ligaments. Wishing you healthy days full of sports…
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