Sports Injuries and Hirudotherapy
Leading among sports injuries are ligament sprains and serious contusions - they can occur in practically any discipline, ranging from freestyle wrestling to golf. Injuries can occur for various reasons depending on the type of sport. These can include collisions in team sports, direct strikes in wrestling, joint and muscle overloads in gymnastics and cycling…Tendon ruptures can result from sliding impacts, sudden muscle overexertion, and excessive stretching.
In terms of injury localization, athletes most often experience injuries to their extremities, with joint injuries, especially to the knee, ankle, and elbow, being predominant. Spinal injuries also occupy a significant place.
In the case of a closed joint injury (bruise, ligament sprain), blood vessels rupture with subsequent bleeding into the joint cavity. Intra-articular fluid (synovial fluid) prevents blood from clotting and resorption, which can lead to hemarthrosis - the accumulation of blood in the joint cavity. Blood triggers an aseptic inflammatory process (inflammation in which microorganisms do not participate). All of this leads to overfilling of the joint cavity, stretching of the joint capsule, pain, loss of surrounding tissue tone, and an inability to make even the slightest movements. In all these cases, hirudotherapy is recommended. Undoubtedly, the sooner leeches are applied near the injured and damaged area, the more favorable the outcome, and the faster the recovery occurs. During the first few days after leech placement, pain disappears, swelling subsides, and joint function is restored. The therapeutic effect of hirudotherapy is determined by the properties of the secretions of leech salivary glands. It has been established that the secretion contains a whole range of other biologically active compounds in addition to hirudin (an inhibitor of the enzyme thrombin). The presence of these compounds explains the therapeutic effect of the secretion of medical leech salivary glands on the human body: anticoagulant, antithrombotic, thrombolytic, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating, bacteriostatic, and pain-relieving effects. The leech's saliva, when penetrating injured tissue, thins the altered blood, preventing it from clotting, which in turn facilitates the resorption of the hematoma. During the course of hirudotherapy, microcirculation in the injured area improves, which speeds up the recovery of damaged tissues.
A course of treatment with medicinal methods typically lasts at least 4 weeks. When leeches are used, the treatment period and, more importantly, rehabilitation are halved.
The biochemical composition of leech salivary gland secretions is not considered doping, which allows for widespread use in various sports for various injuries.