BIOPTRON
Light Therapy in the treatment of acute and chronic sports Injuries
BIOPTRON
Light accelerates tissue regeneration to help athletes to shorten the
healing time of various sports injuries by:
Brining relief to aching muscles - Soothe muscle and joint pain - Increase
the range of active and passive join moment - allow quicker recovery of
muscle and joint activity - Supporting in the treatment of painful sports
injuries such as tendon, muscle spasm, sprains, strains, tendonitis, ligament
and muscle tears, dislocations, contusions and tennis elbow read
more
What
is a sprain?
A sprain is an injury
to a ligament. Ligaments are bands of tissue that connect one bone
to another and are important holding joints together. Sprains occur
when a ligament is overstitched (simple sprain) or torn (partial
tear or complete tear). Common areas are the ankle, knee and wrist.
What is a strain?
A strain is an injury
to a muscle or tendon. Tendons are bands of tissue that connect
muscles to bones. Muscles and tendons provide support and stabilise
joints. Strains occur when muscles and/or tendons are overstretched
or torn and, as with sprains, a tear can be partial or complete
areas commonly trained include the upper arm, elbow, thigh, knee,
angle, abdomen and groin.
As
with sprains and strains they are often common in people involved
in sport. Activities such as gardening, manual labour and lifting
heavy objects. The symptoms and treatment of a strain are similar
to those described for sprains (see above).
What
is a contusion?
A contusion is a bruise i.e. bleeding into the tissues without breaking
the skin surface. As the blood pools around the injured area it
discolours the tissue, making appear dark purple/black. Within a
few days or weeks the blood in the bruised area is broken down by
the body and changes colour, going from purple to green and then
yellow.
Contusions
are caused by an object hitting the body and they can occur in many
situations such as gardening, building, cleaning etc. Also they
are very common in playing contact sports such as football, rugby,
judo, boxing, wrestling etc.
The
symptoms of a contusion are pain and swelling and dependent on the
severity of the injury. Most contusions are mild and responds to
simple measures such as rest ice packs compression and elevation.
What
is arthritis?Tennis elbow
is the name given to pain occurring in the outside area of the elbow
(also know as lateral elbow pain, rowing elbow and lateral epicondylitis).
Who gets tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow is one of
the commonest arm lesions seen by doctors. It occurs in 1.3% of
the population usually in men and women between the age of 40-60.
What are the causes of tennis elbow?
Tennis elbow is caused
by damage to the tendon that joins the muscles in the lower arm
(extensor muscles) to the bone of the upper arm (humerus). This
tendon is anchored to the area of bone on the outside of the elbow
(lateral epicondyle of the humerus). Tendon damage can occur in
two ways 1] by a single episode of trauma e.g being hit on the arm
or 2] by repeated overuse of the arm. Common activities that can
result in tennis elbow include manual applications in building work,
house maid/cleaners, car mechanics, gardening, sports activities
focusing on repeated throwing, swimming, tennis or golf.
What
are the common treatments for tennis elbow?
Symptoms tend to develop slowing and commonly occur in the arm of
the dominant hand with the main symptom of pain in the outside area
of the elbow although some people also have pain in the surrounding
muscle areas. Grip in the hand is often reduced due to the pain
which therefore reduces daily activities such as carrying shopping,
working and using certain tools.
What
treatment is available for tennis elbow?
If treated as soon as the symptoms appear the condition is more
likely to heal quickly. Resting the arm is important but may difficult
for many people particularly if their employment relies on its use.
Mild cases of tennis elbow can be treated at home using ice pack,
a brace or sling to support the arm and/or simple pain reliving
medicines.
Moderate cases may require further treatment from the family doctor
such as the prescription of stronger pain killers and/or referral
for physical therapy. Physical therapy reduces pain and improves
the muscle strength and includes therapeutic exercises, massage,
ultrasound, heat therapy and low power laser light therapy. More
severe cases of tennis elbow may require surgery.
Most cases of tennis elbow normally improve within a few weeks or
months however prolonged pain and discomfort can occur in a minority
of cases with symptoms lasting up to several years. Manual workers
are particularly prone to have a recurrence of the condition as
they tend to resume the work that caused the initial injury.
Treatment
The BIOPTRON Light Therapy
System is believed to reduce pain sensation in several ways. By
improving local blood supply and reducing muscle spasm - reducing
the release of chemicals that stimulate pain receptors (this is
termed an anti-inflammatory effect) - inducing the release of the
body's natural pain killing agents called endorphins - and a direct
action on nerve fibers to prevent transmission of pain impulses
to the brain. Therefore the application of BIOPTRON Light Therapy
over the injured area e.g. the elbow helps reduce pain and discomfort.
A single unit emits a broad range of light wavelengths at a constant intensity for
safe light therapy
Employs innovative new
technology for visible results.
Is a mobile, easily manageable
and maintenance-free device.
Developed and produced
by BIOPTRON AG, Switzerland.
BIOPTRONs technology
is endorsed and used by leading physicians in major universities and clinics
across five continents.