Great strides are being made in developing new techniques that allow active people to remain active into the later decades of their life. Research is being conducted on methods of healing injuries to muscle tissue, primarily by manipulating or eliminating scar tissue formation. Unchecked scar tissue formation within muscle tissue after an injury can impede healing and result in weak connective tissue leading to increased probability of re-injury and muscle weakness. Platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) shows considerable promise, but much research still needs to be done to understand the exact mechanisms involved to determine the “when, where and how much” for safe effective prescription. Presently, injections are expensive and, without a universal protocol, show mixed results.
Research is also being done on popular methods of rebuilding active muscle tissue, such as blood-flow restriction exercise which tricks the body into believing it needs to boost the protein necessary to build muscle tissue. Although the potential benefit to older active adults would considerable, the safety of this procedure for older adults is still being studied, blood clotting being a major concern.
Fortunately, there is a time proven method for controlling scar tissue formation and maintaining optimal tissue health in active adults and athletes of all ages – sports massage and dynamic muscular therapy. Sports massage during training and competition can prevent the need for medical intervention later and dynamic muscular therapy can resolve many chronic athletic injuries years after they have occurred – without the need of medication, injections or surgery.
References utilized:
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/02/21/targeting_sports_related_injuries_with_new_treatments/
