The use of a high-power laser in the recovery process following a fracture – a case study

In this article you will find:

• Patient profile
• Description of the injury
• Physical examination
• The athlete’s functional limitations prior to the start of treatment
• Treatment and rehabilitation
• Additional rehabilitation therapies
• Summary of treatment
• The athlete’s opinion

Patient profile

• Age: 30 years
• Height: 196 cm
• Weight: 94 kg
• Position on the court: centre

Description of the injury

During a league match between the team from Bielsko-Biała and the team from Katowice, a player, whilst attempting a block, felt a piercing pain in his left metacarpal region after making contact with the ball. After leaving the court, he was unable to bend his fingers freely. The area was tender and the finger was trembling. The player reported feeling a strange ‘crack’ in his hand.

Physical examination

Immediately following the injury – palpation of the area and a compression test.

The athlete’s functional limitations prior to the start of treatment

Inability to flex the fingers and wrist due to immobilisation of the left upper limb using a plaster cast, and subsequently an orthosis.

Treatment and rehabilitation

No oral medication was administered. Treatments were carried out using the POLARIS HP S high-power laser. The following parameters were used:

Additional rehabilitation therapies

• Pinopressure
• Manual therapy
• Kinesiotaping
• Algonix (6 sessions)
• Lymphatic drainage
• Strengthening exercises
• Summary of treatment

Summary of treatment

A month after the incident, following a medical consultation, the player was informed of the progress made in the healing of his fracture. After a further two weeks, he removed the brace and began movement-based rehabilitation under the supervision of the team’s physiotherapist. High-power laser therapy (POLARIS HP) is an excellent complement to the treatment and provides an opportunity to undertake rehabilitation activities despite the limitations arising from the main requirements for the proper treatment of fractures. Whilst the limb is immobilised, the range of therapeutic options is limited to gentle manual therapies around the fracture site and the physiotherapy treatments mentioned earlier. These must be safe and must not affect any potential displacement within the skeletal structure. This was all the more important because the fracture in question was a comminuted fracture, and we treat such fractures with particular care.

The athlete’s opinion

„Immediately after the incident, I realised it was something more serious. Although I initially decided to stay on the pitch, the pain became so severe that I decided to ask to be substituted after all. After the initial tests with the physiotherapist, we concluded that the finger was probably broken and we immobilised it. After the match, we went to A&E, where our suspicions were, unfortunately, confirmed. The very next day, we began high-power laser therapy, which we carried out regularly – even after the splint had been removed, once I’d started my exercises. We wanted to make sure we were doing everything possible so that I could help the team on the pitch as soon as possible.”