Microtrauma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Microtrauma is the general term given to small injuries to the body.
Microtrauma can include the microtearing of muscle fibres, the sheath around the muscle and the connective tissue. It can also include stress to the tendons, and to the bones (see Wolf's Law). It is unknown of the ligaments adapt like this. Adaptation to microtrauma to the bowels is a key factor to the beneficial effects of dietary fibre in increasing bowel robustness. Microtrauma to the skin (compression, impact, abrasion) can also cause increases in a skin's thickness, as seen in running barefoot.
Most microtrauma cause a low level of inflammation that cannot be seen or felt. These injuries can arise in muscle, ligament, vertebrae, and discs, either singly or in combination. Repetitive microtrauma which are not allowed time to heal can result in the development of more serious conditions.
Back pain can develop gradually as a result of microtrauma brought about by repetitive activity over time. Because of the slow and progressive onset of this internal injury, the condition is often ignored until the symptoms become acute, often resulting in disabling injury. Acute back injuries can arise from improper lifting techniques. While the acute injury may seem to be caused by a single well-defined incident, the real cause is often a combined interaction of the observed stressor coupled with years of weakening of the musculoskeletal support mechanism by repetitive microtrauma.
However, physiotherapists encourage exercise as it is deemed an important factor in reducing back pain. The focus is on having balanced exercises that work both the front and posterior chains. Strong abdominals and lower back musculature are thought to help stabilize the spine so less weight need be supported by the spinal connective tissue. Flexibility exercises to help relax hypertensive muscles, and aerobic movements to bring blood into the tissues (walking, running) also help in encouraging recovery, with rest (made easier by this exertion) also as integral. Spinal decompressoin normally happens in sleep, though some attempt to do extra decompression by doing hanging exercises where the body's weight (and other weight possibly held or strapped on) will be pulling the spine rather than compressing it to support its weight. Gravity boots holding light handweights, or hanging from a pullup bar with a dip belt, bringing the knees parallel to the ground, and slightly twisting slowly side to side are thought to help with this.
One possible example of beneficial microtrauma is in the form of microtears to the muscle fibres as a result of intensive exercise.[citation needed] This is done deliberately in weight training in order to stimulate the building of stronger muscles, ligaments, and tendons during the repair process. However, it is not known if this practice is as beneficial as originally thought. Sufficient time must be allowed for healing, to avoid overtraining.
