The pandemic has changed our lifestyles, with significant repercussions on our health. Some people have taken up exercise as a result of lockdown, while others have reduced their physical activity to a minimum.

All of this has had a direct impact on medical fields such as traumatology and injury recovery. To discuss these issues, Diario SUR organized a technical roundtable on Thursday, the 18th, entitled “Traumatology: Challenges and Opportunities in a Cutting-Edge Specialty.”

The meeting, which was held virtually and moderated by journalist Carmen Alcaraz, was attended by Dr. Antonio Narváez, head of Orthopedic Surgery, Traumatology, and Sports Medicine at Vithas Xanit; Carlos Leonardo Cano Herrera, doctor of physical therapy and head of the Physical Therapy Department at the AMS Exercise Medical Center; Dr. Antonio Guerrero, specialist in Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology at Hospital Santa Elena; Dr. Alejandro Espejo, head of Orthopedics and Traumatology at Vithas Málaga; and Emilio Merchán Ortega, podiatrist, physical therapist, and director of Merchán Fisioterapia & Podología.

As a starting point, the experts analyzed the damage that has occurred during this time as a direct or indirect result of the pandemic.

While they emphasized that there has been a notable decrease in injuries caused by traffic accidents and high-level sports pathologies, the experts pointed out other problems that have been particularly recurrent this year.

During the time spent at home, injuries known as ‘confinement syndrome’ developed. Both active and sedentary people began to perform highly repetitive activities that have led to meniscus problems, due to repetitive exercises and turns in small spaces, tendinopathies, overuse, stress-related problems, etc. And in the elderly, fractures have also been seen due to not adapting the environment in which this type of exercise is performed,” said Dr. Guerrero.

Emilio Merchán distinguished between two distinct periods. On the one hand, there was lockdown, during which he agreed with Dr. Guerrero on the type of injuries, since “the home is not equipped to be a gym,” adding to this point the problems caused by teleworking, which led to pathologies due to poor posture. The physiotherapist and podiatrist added a second moment, when people were allowed to go out to exercise, which led to an excess that resulted in a large number of injuries due to overtraining. “And not only in amateur athletes, but also in elite athletes. Not surprisingly, in the first eight days of the Premier League, there were 100 muscle injuries, 15% more than the previous season.”

From his perspective as a podiatrist, Merchán emphasized the need to conduct biomechanical studies to correct potential problems in running. “It’s not just about buying good shoes, but analyzing the type according to the characteristics of the patient, their running style, and technique to avoid stress injuries.”

Dr. Narváez added to this assessment the decrease in work-related injuries, and recalled that, in the case of chronic injuries, the inability to see a specialist, while not aggravating the conditions, had generally contributed to the worsening of symptoms.

Carlos Cano also added to the list patients who, shortly before lockdown, had undergone surgery and were unable to recover properly with physical therapy. “We have even encountered people who have had to undergo further surgery because they did not recover properly.” The doctor of physical therapy also included “pre-sedentary” people who practiced physical activity “out of obligation and who stopped doing so due to the lockdown or fear of contagion.”

Cutting-edge treatments

During the meeting, the most cutting-edge treatments currently being performed were discussed.

In this regard, Dr. Guerrero stated: “The new challenges of the 21st century are biological treatments, such as PRP, which are being used to treat joint disorders with the implementation of ultrasound and diagnostic methods that many specialists are developing in their practices. It should be noted that these diseases are attacking young patients with increasing aggressiveness and frequency, in addition to the elderly population. We also face the challenge of improving preservation surgery over replacement surgery, thus solving the problems arising from prosthetic surgery.”

Regarding ultrasound, Merchán highlighted its value as a quick and harmless diagnostic method in clinical practice. “In physical therapy, it helps us give feedback to patients, that is, teach them exercises to see their muscle contraction, among many other things. In addition, in invasive procedures, with techniques such as ultrasound-guided electrotherapy, it is essential for greater precision and effectiveness. In podiatry, we are growing significantly in ultrasound-guided intervention, with the aforementioned biological treatments.”

Published in Diario Sur on February 23, 2021

https://www.diariosur.es/sociedad/salud/ultimas-tecnicas-efectos-20210219150951-nt.html
Conference organized by Diario SUR as part of the #MalagaVanguardiaenSanidad21 initiative, a proposal that aims to highlight the quality of healthcare services on the Costa del Sol through roundtable discussions in which a select group of experts have shared their views on different healthcare issues organized by topic.