CONNECTIVE TISSUE, CORTISOL AND THE HPA AXIS

Most therapists tend to look to specific incidents or biomechanical causes as the reasons for injury to occur. However the biochemical and physiological responses of connective tissue to stress and the theory and application of corticosteroid injections to treat injury are worth exploration. In this article we explore the role of connective tissue as a communication medium for the endocrine system and the effects of both massage and cortisol within this context.

BY HUMPHREY BACCHUS CMT INTRODUCTION

Athletes from all sports are all too frequently the unfortunate recipients of injuries that can curtail racing seasons, delay training and end careers. Usual practice is to focus on specific incidents and biomechanical causes to explain the resulting injuries however the more complex mechanism of our reactions and adaptation to internal and external stressors tends to be something that is explored less frequently. The purpose of this article is to raise awareness of the biochemical and physiological responses of connective tissue to stress and to consider the theory and application of cortisone-based injections to treat injury and sports-related inflammation.

THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS

It seems an all too frequent an occurrence these days that patients are recommended or referred for cortisone injections, perhaps not always with full consideration by referring practitioners of the efficacy or long-term implications of these injections. Are we clear of the long- term effect of chronic physical stress on connective tissue? At the forefront of these considerations must be the stress response from the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

LONG TERM HEALTH IN MIND 16

SHORT-TERM GAINS ARE ALL TOO OFTEN TAKEN WITHOUT

sportEX dynamics 2010;24(Apr):16-19