SPORTS INJURIES
MEAT: Why We Recommend It
Movement and exercise, the first two recommendations of MEAT, have
been shown to be very effective at enhancing ligament and
tendon healing. Animals that are allowed to mobilize their
joints will have significantly greater tensile strength in
the healing ligaments than in animals whose healing ligaments
were immobilized. Exercise can increase the strength in an
injured ligament by 50 percent compared to a non-exercised
group. (Tipton, C. Influence of physical activity on the
strength of knee ligaments in rats. American Journal of Physiology.
1967; 212:783-787.;Burroughs, P. The effect of enforced exercise
on the healing of ligament injuries. American Journal of
Sports Medicine. 1990; 18:376-378.)
Perhaps the most important ligaments for the athlete are those in the knee. Numerous
studies have shown that exercise increases the strength of the knee ligaments
when they are injured. (Viidik, A. Elasticity and tensile strength of the anterior
cruciate ligament in rabbits as influenced by training Acta. Physiol. Scand.
1968; 74:373-380.;Laros, G. Influence of physical activity on ligament insertions
in the knees of dogs. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 1971; 53A:275-285.)
In one study, the anterior cruciate ligament was strengthened by a statistically
significant amount with exercise. Exercising the knee six days per week, instead
of three days per week also produced the most improvement in ligament strength.
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) of the knee has also been shown to heal
better with early motion and exercise in athletes. One study showed that compared
to immobilization, movement of the knee for 12 weeks after a medical collateral
ligament injury increased the stability of the knee by over 50 percent. This
study won the 1986 Excellence in Research Award from American Journal of Sports
Medicine. The authors concluded, "In confirmation with previous studies, prolonged
immobilization was shown to have deleterious effects on MCL healing. The results
of this study indicated that early mobilization is the treatment of choice in
cases of isolated MCL injury." (Woo, S. Treatment of the medial collateral ligament
injury. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1987; 15:22-29.)
The same results have also been shown for healing lateral ankle sprains. The
early mobilized group had less pain and returned to full capacity quicker compared
to the immobilized group. (Eiff, M. Early mobilization versus immobilization
in the treatment of lateral ankle sprains. American Journal of Sports Medicine.
1994; February: 83-88.)
It is clear that exercise and mobility are significantly better for healing than
immobility and rest for ligaments. Do not get too excited, however, the repair
and regeneration begins within the first few days and occurs for the next six
weeks. From week six until 12 months, the injured ligament undergoing repair
remodels, contracts, and gains some tensile strength. Even though ligaments
heal for a full year after the injury, after 12 months the strength of the ligament
is generally only 50 to 70 percent of the original ligament strength. Imagine
the status of the ligament strength at day four or two weeks after the injury?
This fact is an example of why ice, cortisone shots, anti-inflammatories, braces,
and taping are so dangerous. They cover up the fact that the athlete has an injury.
The athlete goes out and plays even though his ligament is only 25 percent of
the strength of his original, uninjured, ligament. Sports medicine specialists
are wondering why the athlete does not heal. Get a clue. It is their treatments
that are preventing the healing. The best treatment for the athlete is to heal
the injured ligament back to 100 percent as quickly as possible. There is only
one treatment that can do this. That treatment is Prolotherapy.
For more on Prolotherapy.
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