When a tissue is exposed to an irritation (overload, pressure, impact) an injury occurs. All injuries trigger an acute ‘inflammation’ that is essential for the body to repair and strengthen the injured tissue.
Although inflammation is called ‘inflammation’ in Danish, it has nothing to do with infection, and penicillin obviously has no effect on it.
The cells and chemical substances involved in the inflammatory process cause, among other things, dilation of the blood vessels (cardilatation), fluid retention and the formation of new blood vessels and connective tissue.
These reactions can give rise to symptoms that are interpreted as a signal that an unfavourable inflammation has occurred. The classic symptoms of inflammation are redness (rubor), heat (calor), pain (dolor), swelling (tumour) and functional impairment (functiolaesa) caused by hyperaemia (increased blood flow), tissue damage with the release of various chemicals, oedema (fluid in the tissue) and pain. In addition to these classic symptoms, stiffness is also a characteristic sign of inflammation, which is often experienced as morning stiffness and difficulty starting work.
If the irritation (overload) continues, the acute inflammation can turn into chronic inflammation, which is a serious complication. Chronic inflammation has a debilitating effect on tissue (weakening tendons, articular cartilage, etc.) and causes pain that necessitates training breaks (further weakening muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones). Overloading tissues that are not fully recovered is therefore a major mechanism of injury.
Chronic inflammation is often difficult to treat, requires prolonged breaks and, in the worst case scenario, can lead to injuries so severe that a return to sport is impossible (‘sports disability’).
Preventing the onset of chronic inflammation primarily by responding to the body’s signals that ‘something is wrong’ (aches and pains) is therefore crucial for continued sporting activity. At the same time, remove the strain by reorganising training and seeking sports medicine advice and guidance. Then start proper rehabilitation and treatment as soon as possible. While there is considerable evidence that removing chronic inflammation through medical treatment can be beneficial, it is questionable whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks of reducing acute inflammation.
