My main role within the session was to apply treatment (pre-training) to the players that had any underlying pathologies, as well as acting as the first aider while training was in progress.
| Reflective Summary
Once I arrived at the session, I had two players who have different knee pathologies that requested taping before training. One of the players has a Patella Tendinopathy which is also known as Jumpers’ Knee. The mechanism of this injury is generally due to an overuse in activities that involves rapid changes of direction, jumping and running such as basketball (Nilsson-helander, 2012). I applied the Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome kinesiology tape technique as the area of pain for this pathology is in a similar place to Patella Tendinopathy (in front of the knee just below the patella). The tape can help to offload the pain at this area. Another player has Osgood Schlatter which is a condition where the patellar tendon insertion on the tibial tuberosity becomes inflamed which is characterised by a bony prominence over the tibial tuberosity (Vaishya, Azizi, Agarwal, & Vijay, 2016). The pain intensifies during activities like running and jumping which explains why it may hurt during basketball. With Osgood Schlatter taping it is important that the midpoint of the two pieces of tape is across the point of pain. During training I applied ice over a players hip as they were experiencing pain in this area. Areas for further improvement My first area for further improvement would be to research the underlying pathologies that the players have (Osgood Schlatter and Patella Tendinopathy), so I am aware and can therefore choose the most appropriate treatment methods for the pathology. For example, the research suggests that exercises that improve the quadriceps, hamstrings and gastrocnemius muscles are recommended as management for Osgood Schlatter (Vaishya, Azizi, Agarwal, & Vijay, 2016). Foam rolling can also be beneficial as it helps to lengthen the muscles. It is also important to apply pre-spray exactly where the tape will be placed. In order to do this, it is vital to cut the tape first and measure it against the skin, so you know where the spray needs to go. I did not do this so the players tape ended up coming off during training. Things to Remember:
References Nilsson-helander, K. (2012). Treatment of patellar tendinopathy — a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 20(8), 1632–1646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-011-1825-1 Vaishya, R., Azizi, A. T., Agarwal, A. K., & Vijay, V. (2016). Apophysitis of the Tibial Tuberosity ( Osgood-Schlatter Disease ): A Review Clinical Presentation. Cureus Journal of Medical Science, 8(9), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.780
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