Treatment of Skeletal Muscle Injury: A Review

Abstract

Skeletal muscle injuries are the most common sports-related injuries and present a challenge in primary care and sports medicine. Most types of muscle injuries would follow three stages: the acute inflammatory and degenerative phase, the repair phase and the remodeling phase. Present conservative treatment includes RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and physical therapy. However, if use improper, NSAIDs may suppress an essential inflammatory phase in the healing of injured skeletal muscle. Furthermore, it remains controversial whether or not they have adverse effects on the healing process or on the tensile strength. However, several growth factors might promote the regeneration of injured skeletal muscle, many novel treatments have involved on enhancing complete functional recovery. Exogenous growth factors have been shown to regulate satellite cell proliferation, differentiation and fusion in myotubes in vivo and in vitro, TGF-β1 antagonists behave as inhibitors of TGF-β1. They prevent collagen deposition and block formation of muscle fibrosis, so that a complete functional recovery can be achieved.

Effects of GaAs laser and stretching on muscle contusion in rats

“…To minimize disability and enhance full functional recovery after skeletal muscle injuries, the current conservative treatment includes limiting the bleeding with compression, elevation, and local cooling, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and physical therapy, which include the use of laser therapy and muscle stretching 30 . The findings of this study showed that laser therapy and/or stretching protocols were enough to induce sarcomerogenesis even in injured muscles.…”

The efficacy of manual versus local vibratory massage in promoting recovery from post-exercise muscle damage – A systematic review

“…It is well accepted that skeletal muscles have the ability to regenerate after injury (Kawiak et al, 2006) and the regeneration process has been found to be similar in most types of muscle injuries (Baoge et al, 2012). Although there is no existing treatment that is accepted as a universally used tool (Ernst, 1998), massage is commonly used in the athletic community despite little scientific evidence confirming its effectiveness (Stamford, 1985).…”

Engineering Approaches for Creating Skeletal Muscle

“…The mechanical forces tear apart the tissue, rupturing the myoblasts and capillaries in the wound area. 14,15 A hematoma forms as the body attempts to contain the injury. Inflammation follows over the course of several days, and immune cells are recruited to remove debris and prevent spread of any infection.…”