Adjunctive Sports Therapies Flashcards

During iontophoresis application on a pitcher's elbow, which parameter determines the total ionic medication dose delivered to tissue?

Answer: Current amplitude in milliamps times treatment time in minutes (mA·min)

Iontophoretic dose is calculated as current (mA) × time (min), with a typical therapeutic dose of 40–80 mA·min ensuring adequate drug ion migration.

A cross-country skier is treated with cupping therapy for thoracic myofascial pain. The characteristic round skin discolorations post-treatment result from:

Answer: Extravasation of red blood cells into the dermis due to negative pressure

The negative pressure created by cupping draws blood into the local tissue, causing capillary rupture and RBC extravasation that appears as round ecchymotic marks.

In aquatic therapy for a post-operative ACL athlete, the primary advantage of exercising in chest-deep water is:

Answer: Approximately 75% reduction in effective body weight reducing joint compressive forces

Buoyancy in chest-deep water unloads approximately 75% of body weight, allowing early weight-bearing exercise with significantly reduced tibiofemoral compressive forces.

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) is applied to a volleyball player's quadriceps post-ACL reconstruction. Which pulse frequency BEST produces a tetanic contraction for strengthening purposes?

Answer: 50–80 Hz (tetanic contraction)

Frequencies of 50–80 Hz fuse individual muscle twitches into a sustained tetanic contraction sufficient to generate therapeutic strengthening forces.

A CCSP recommends diathermy for a cyclist's chronic IT band syndrome. The primary advantage of shortwave diathermy over superficial heat is:

Answer: Ability to heat deep tissues beyond the reach of superficial heat packs

Shortwave diathermy converts electromagnetic energy into heat in deep tissues (up to 5 cm), exceeding the ~1 cm penetration of superficial heat packs.

When prescribing eccentric exercise as an adjunctive therapy for Achilles tendinopathy in a distance runner, the evidence-based Alfredson protocol specifies performing the exercise:

Answer: With both the knee straight and knee bent, loading through pain

The Alfredson protocol requires eccentric heel drops with both straight and bent knee to target the gastrocnemius and soleus separately, and uniquely instructs the athlete to train through pain.

A sports chiropractor uses myofascial release on a gymnast's hip flexors before competition. The therapeutic goal of sustained manual pressure applied to a myofascial restriction is to:

Answer: Engage the tissue barrier and wait for a neurological or viscoelastic release

Myofascial release applies sustained, gentle pressure at the tissue barrier, waiting for a neurological unwinding or viscoelastic creep response to release the restriction.