Are you a High School or
Collegiate Athlete?
Prevent Overuse Injuries by
Following These Simple Steps
Kevin Lacke
Northeastern University
You probably “ice” after practice, but
what about applying heat before?
 Many athletes use ice to control swelling, soreness, and pain after a workout.
 Using heat before practice can prevent some of this swelling, soreness, and pain before it
even happens.
How can heat prevent overuse injuries?
 Combined with stretching before practice, heat has the potential to reduce overuse
injuries in athletes.
 The key is to make sure stretching is done right after heat is applied.
 If an athlete waits too long after heat is applied, it takes away the effect of the heat.
How can you use heat?
 Athletes can have heat applied in a number of ways:
 Hot packs
 Whirlpools
 Paraffin wax
 Thermal ultrasound
Hot Packs
http://www.midasmassage.com/images/imgCGHydroHotPack_1008_use.jpg
Whirlpools
http://image.cdnllnwnl.xosnetwork.com/pics32/640/SW/SWDPRKGCMFHKSIN.20110802203231.jpg
Paraffin Wax
(Paraffin wax is the application of hot wax to the skin to achieve
the effects of heat on more irregularly shaped areas of the body.)
http://www.greerink.com/massage/Wax/wax1.jpg
Ultrasound
(Ultrasound uses a vibrating acoustic head to generate heat)
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xJ7tAdLduUI/maxresdefault.jpg
How does it work?
 When heat is applied to skin, vasodilation takes place.
 Vasodilation is when blood vessels expand and blood flow to the area increases.
 Increased blood flow increases the temperature of the skin, muscle, and other tissue.
How does it work?
 When the temperature increases, tissue experiences something known as “collagen
extensibility”.
 When collagen extensibility occurs, muscles and tendons become more flexible.
 In summary, heat makes muscles, ligaments and tendons more flexible. Flexible muscles,
ligaments, and tendons are much easier to stretch before a workout.
How does it work?
 If a tendon, ligament, or muscle is better stretched before a workout, it is subject to less
stress at the start of the workout.
 The tendon, ligament, or muscle can then endure much more work without injury.
How can I have this done?
 Talk to your athletic trainer or physical therapist about using heat before practice.
 DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TREAT YOURSELF WITH HEAT.
 If someone without formal thermal modality education attempts to treat themselves, they
can cause burns.
How can I have this done?
 Heat application should only be taking place for about 10-20 minutes. If it is done along
with a full stretching routine, an athlete can be fully ready for practice in about 30
minutes.
Does this treatment actually work?
 In an experiment done during military basic training, it was proven that better stretched
muscles have a direct relationship with fewer overuse injuries.
 Combining heat with stretching can better stretch muscles and be used to prevent
overuse injuries before they even happen
References
 Hartig M.D., D. (1999). Increasing Hamstring Flexibility Decreases Lower Extremity Overuse
Injuries in Military Basic Trainees. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 27(2),173-176.
Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/27/2/173.short
 Hogan, K., & Gross, R. (2003). Overuse injuries in pediatric athletes. Orthopedic Clinics of
North America, 405-415. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from Ebsco.
 Prentice, W., & Prentice, W. (2002). Therapeutic Modalities for Physical Therapists (2nd ed.).
New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Reflective Note
 This presentation is an “explainer article” geared towards high school and collegiate athletes across all
sports. It will be distributed throughout locker rooms, athletic training rooms, and physical therapy offices
across the country. With the advent of technology, many of these facilities now have monitors, ipads or
other viewing mediums. This presentation could be playing on a constant loop in one of these settings in an
effort to inform athletes of a new potential strategy for preventing overuse injuries. I cited a general overview
on modalities from a textbook as well as a few research articles to illustrate the success of this strategy. I also
used a few images just in case an athlete had never seen less common modalities such as paraffin wax. The
content was geared towards a population with little to no education in the field. Everything was explained
as if the reader had no prior knowledge and the explanations did not go into great detail. They were just
intended to inform. The design is geared to grab the reader’s attention immediately by proposing
addressing them specifically and proposing a potential solution to a problem that they will likely face.
 This presentation will certainly fit into my professional portfolio because it contains a very different style of
writing from the projects I have created so far. The tone is much more casual and assumes the reader has no
background in the field.