Interesting article on Ligaments Vs Muscle Strains..
http://www.sportsprolo.com/does_r_i_c_e_prevent_sports_injuries_from_healing.htm
For the weekend athlete, the most common injuries suffered are sprains: an injury to the connective tissues that hold bones together (ligaments), and strains, an injury to connective tissues that hold muscle to bone (tendons). Sprains and strains can be caused by an acute injury such as a "sprained" ankle, or by long-term repetitious movement, such as that found in "tennis elbow."
Customarily sprains and strains are treated with RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation, in order to immobilize the injured area and decrease swelling. This is beneficial in the short-term as RICE is effective in reducing pain. However, continual injury and long-term use of the RICE method as a remedy, can produce impairments in the natural healing process that can lead to chronic and disabling pain, and the individual's inability to enjoy an active participation in sports.
Inflammation is the immune system’s response to an injury and is a necessary component of proper healing. When an injury occurs, inflammatory cells circulating in the blood rush to the affected area in an attempt to repair and minimize the damage quickly. The RICE treatment decreases blood circulation thereby preventing the immune cells from getting to the injury site. By this suppression of the immune system reaction, continuous RICE application leads to injuries that do not heal and a chronic weakened condition in the injured area that is easily susceptible to re-injury.
Another and considered better approach to sports injuries is MEAT - Movement, Exercise, Analgesics, and Treatment. While immobility is detrimental to ligament and tendon healing, movement is beneficial. Movement and gentle range-of-motion exercises improve blood flow to the area. With better circulation, there is better healing. If the movement is too painful initially, then isometric exercise involving the contraction of muscle without movement of the affected joint can be performed with equal benefit.
Natural analgesics or pain relievers such as bromelaine, trypsin, and papain aid in healing injuries by increasing nutrient delivery to the injured site as well as removing the debris of damaged tissues, reducing the swelling or edema.
The T in Meat stands for specific treatments that increase blood flow and immune cell migration to the damaged area. This includes physical therapy, massage, ultrasound, chiropractic care, and Prolotherapy.
The goal of a health professional in treating a chronic sport related injury should not be the alleviation of pain, but the restoration of the ligaments and tendons to their normal pre-injury strength. Unfortunately most athletes are treated by clinicians who provide pain relief in the form of Ibuprofen, aspirin, cortisone shots, and surgery. While these therapies meet the goal of providing pain relief in the short-term, they do so at the expense of continually weakening the ligaments and tendons, and the eventual loss of the individual's ability to participate in their chosen sports. Prolotherapy can bring the athlete back to full strength without surgery, drugs, or other pain suppressants.
Prolotherapy, because it triggers the growth of normal collagen, or connective tissue, not only allows the athlete to return to sports actively, but often the area that was injured will be stronger than before the injury and the athlete's performance will be enhanced.
Generally Prolotherapy treatments are given once a month to allow time for the growth of the new connective tissue. Patients normally require four to six treatments for complete recovery.
Injured athletes will want to return to their golf or tennis game or other activities as quickly as possible. In this case Prolotherapy injections are sometimes given on a weekly basis, or a stronger solution is used to speed the healing process. This is not the ideal situation however. The preferred regime is for the patient to receive Prolotherapy treatments in the off-season to allow complete strengthening
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