Musculoskeletal injury refers to damage of
muscularThe muscular system is the anatomical system of a species that allows it to move. The muscular system in vertebrates is controlled through the nervous system, although some muscles can be completely autonomous.- Muscles :...
or skeletal systems, which is usually due to a strenuous activity. In one study, roughly 25% of approximately 6300 adults received a musculoskeletal injury of some sort within 12 months—of which 83% were activity-related. MI spans into a large variety of medical specialties including
orthopedic surgeryOrthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system...
(with diseases such as
arthritisArthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
requiring surgery),
emergency medicineEmergency medicine is a medical specialty in which physicians care for patients with acute illnesses or injuries which require immediate medical attention. While not usually providing long-term or continuing care, emergency medicine physicians diagnose a variety of illnesses and undertake acute...
(
acuteAcute may refer to:* Acute accent* Acute angle* Acute * Acute * Acute toxicity...
presentations of joint and muscular pain) and
rheumatologyRheumatology is a sub-specialty in internal medicine and pediatrics, devoted to diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Clinicians who specialize in rheumatology are called rheumatologists...
(in rheumatological diseases that affect joints such as
rheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
). In many cases, during the healing period after a Musculoskeletal injury, a period in which the healing area will be completely immobile, a cast-induced
muscle atrophyMuscle atrophy, or disuse atrophy, is defined as a decrease in the mass of the muscle; it can be a partial or complete wasting away of muscle. When a muscle atrophies, this leads to muscle weakness, since the ability to exert force is related to mass...
can occur. Routine sessions of physiotherapy after the cast is removed can help return regain strength in limp muscles or tendons. Alternately, there exist different methods of
electrical stimulationElectrical muscle stimulation , also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses...
of the immobile muscles which can be induced by a device placed underneath a cast, helping prevent atrophy.
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