SPORTS INJURIES

Every day millions of people of all ages participates in games and s orts activities and many
results in Sports injury, some minor, some serious, and still others resulting in lifelong medical
requirements.
TYES OF INJURY
1-Acute Injury
2-Overuse Injury

1- Acute Injury: Acute injuries are caused by a sudden trauma. Common acute injuries among
youngsters and athletes are sprains (partial or complete tear of ligaments), strains (a partial or
complete tear of a muscles or tendon), contusions (bruises) and fractures.

2-Overuse Injury: Not all injuries caused by a single, sudden twist, fall or collision. A series of
small injuries to immature bodies can cause minor fractures, minimal muscles tear, or
progressive bone deformities, known as overuse injuries. Common overuse injuries occur in the
heels and knees with tears in tissue where tendons attach to the leg bone or the heel bone.
Contact sports are dangerous and put young athletes at special risk for severe injuries. However,
obeying the rules of the game and using proper equipments can reduce the chances of injuries.
The most common types of sports injuries include:
 Sprains. Overstretching or tearing the ligaments results in a sprain.
 Strains. Overstretching or tearing muscles or tendons results in a sprain.

 Knee injuries.
 Swollen muscles.
 Achilles tendon ruptures.
 Fractures.
 Dislocations.
 Rotator cuff injury.

Sports injuries occur during exercise or while participating in a sport. Children are particularly at
risk for these types of injuries, but adults can get them, too.

You’re at risk for sports injuries if you:

 haven’t been regularly active

SPRAINS: Overstretching or tearing the ligaments results in a sprain. Ligaments are the bands of
tissue that connect two bones together in a joint. Sprain is a stretch and/or tear of a ligament, the
 fibrous band of connective tissue that joints the end of one bone with another. Ligaments stabilize and
support the body’s joints. Ex. ligaments in the knee connect the upper leg with the lower leg, enabling
people to walk and run. The most common location for a sprain is the ankle joint.

STRAINS: Overstretching or tearing muscles or tendons results in a sprain. Tendons are thick,
fibrous cords of tissue that connect bone to muscle. Strains are commonly mistaken for sprains.
Tendons are the dense fibrous cords of tissue that connect bones to muscles. The most common
locations for a muscle strain are the hamstring muscle and the lower back. A strain is a twist pulls
and/or tear of a muscles and/or tendon. Tendons are fibrous cords of tissue that attach muscles to
bone. The symptoms of a sprain and a strain are very similar. That’s because the injuries themselves are
very similar. It’s no wonder the two conditions are frequently confuse.
Common symptoms of sprains Common symptoms of strains
• bruising • muscle spasm
• pain around the affected joint • pain around the affected joint
• swelling • swelling
• limited flexibility • limited flexibility
• difficulty using the joint’s full range of motion • difficulty using the joint’s full range of motion

Treatment

Mild strains and mild sprains are treated with the same technique. This technique is known as
RICE. RICE stands for: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.
 Rest: Stay off the affected joint, or try not to use it while it heals. This will give the joint
time to heal.
 Ice: Ice helps reduce swelling and inflammation. Never apply ice directly to your skin.
Instead, wrap a thin towel or piece of clothing around a bag of ice. Leave it on the
affected area for 20 minutes, then remove the ice for 20 minutes. Repeat as much as you
can for the first 24 to 48 hours.
 Compression: Compression will help reduce the swelling. Wrap the affected joint in a
bandage or trainer’s tape. Do not wrap too tightly, however, or you can reduce the blood
supply.
 Elevation: Try to keep the affected joint elevated above the level of your heart. This will
help reduce swelling. If your knee or ankle is affected, that may mean you need to stay in
bed or on the couch for up to two days after your injury. If you can’t keep it as high as
your heart, parallel to the ground is also ok.

For the first 24 to 48 hours after your injury, RICE may make you more comfortable and reduce
signs and symptoms.

More severe strains and sprains may require surgery to repair damaged or torn ligaments,
tendons, or muscles. If you experience any of the following, see a doctor about your sprain or
strain:

 difficulty walking or standing without pain

Knee injuries. Any injury that interferes with how the knee joint moves could be a sports
injury. It could range from an overstretch to a tear in the muscles or tissues in the knee.

 Most knee injuries are caused by an external force bending or twisting the knee in a
manner that it was not anatomically designed for. Common causes of knee injuries are
 from a twisting mechanism from falls, sports, or accidents. A twisted knee can cause
damage to the ligaments and cartilage.
 High-force injuries such as sports-related injuries and motor vehicle accidents can disrupt
multiple parts of the knee anatomy, causing multiple types of knee injuries.

 Bursitis can be caused by overuse, arthritis, degenerative joint disease, injuries from
kneeling, infection, or gout.

The main symptoms of knee injury are as follows:

 Knee pain
 Swelling
 Heat
 Redness
 Tenderness
 Difficulty bending the knee
 Problems weight bearing
 Clicking or popping sounds
 Locking of the knee
 Feeling of instability
 Bruising

If the injury is acute, the main symptoms will most likely be knee pain and swelling. If the injury
is chronic or from overuse, the symptoms of clicking, popping, and intermittent pain will be
more prominent.

 Swollen muscles. Swelling is a natural reaction to an injury. Swollen muscles may also
be painful and weak.
 Achilles tendon rupture. The Achilles tendon is a thin, powerful tendon at the back of
your ankle. During sports, this tendon can break or rupture. When it does, you may
experience sudden, severe pain and difficulty walking.

Causes: By direct or indirect trauma (a fall, a blow to the body etc.) that knocks a joint out
of position and overstretch and severe cases ruptures the supporting ligaments.
 Chronic strains are the result of overuse -prolonged repetitive movement- of muscles and
tendons.
 Inadequate rest breaks during intensive training precipitates strain.
 Acute strains are caused by a direct blow to the body, overstretching or excessive muscle
contraction.
  The major areas affected are ankle, elbow, knee, hand muscles and tendons and
ligaments.

Preventive Measures
1-Participate in conditioning program to build muscles strength.
2-Practice Stretching Exercises daily.
3-Wear properly fitted shoes
4-Blanced diet to nourish your muscles.
5-Warming up before any activity.
6-Use protective equipments appropriate

FRACTURES. Bone fractures are also known as broken bones.

 When there is fracture, doctors detect in several ways, usually, there is pain, soreness,
tenderness in fractured area. Swelling and discoloration also occur. In some cases only X-
ray detects the fractures. The injured part is immobilized until skilled help is available.

CAUSES:
Fractures often are the result of increasing the amount or intensity of activity too rapidly and may
be impacted to an unfamiliar surface, improper equipment, and increased physical stress.
TREATEMENT:
 The first and foremost is rest for at least 6-8 week from the activity. If rest is not taken for
the prescribed period of time re-injury may occur.
 Slowly start sports activity, start with mild walking and very little running.
 Maintain a healthy diet.(Calcium intake as prescribed)
 Use proper sports kit specifically shoes.
 If pain or swelling occurs immediately stop activity and rest for few days, if it continued
then must visit Doctor.
 It is important to mention that if you recognize the symptoms early and treat them
appropriately, you can return to sports/activity at your normal playing level.

DISLOCATION:
Sports injuries may dislocate a bone in your body. When that happens, a bone is forced out of its
socket. This can be painful and lead to swelling and weakness. When the end of the bone is
forced out of its normal position in a joint. Fractures and dislocations frequently result from
sports accidents subject to many reasons.
Signs of these two are pain, an unusual position of joint or bone, and tenderness and swelling
around the injury. The victim may also experience grating sensation, caused by fragments of
broken bones rubbing together. The victim may not be able to use a hand or a foot.
The doctors corrects a dislocation by manipulating the bones to return then to normal position,
this procedure is called the reducing the dislocation. Some dislocated joints may return to normal
position naturally. In simple dislocation the patient has no external wound, but in compound
dislocation is accompanied by a wound opening from the body surface.

CAUSES: Vary from game to game and situation to situation. However, some of the main
reasons may be a direct hit or blow to the part concerned i.e. knee, shoulder, ankle etc. Pilling or
jerking on a particular joint may also cause dislocation. Cutting moves on the fields or courts
also cause dislocation in different joints. Poor muscle conditioning is also one of the causes of
dislocation.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES:
1- Sportsperson/individuals must build their overall strength and muscle tone with a long
term conditioning/fitness programme according to the needs of their games/sports.
2- Adequate warm up should be done before game/match or any physical activity.
3- One must wear proper protective devices/equipment during contact games.
4- Irregular surfaces must be avoided for running or track events.

Rotator Cuff injury (Shoulder) : Four pieces of muscle work together to form the rotator cuff.
The rotator cuff keeps your shoulder moving in all directions. A tear in any of these muscles can
weaken the rotator cuff.

The risk of injury accompanies participation in almost all the sporting activities. Injuries,
particularly those not properly cared for, may develop into conditions that can last a life time.
Some of those conditions are chronic Tennis elbow, Runner’s Knee or osteoarthritis.

Most Sports injuries are caused by one or more of the following factors:
1-Lack of pre-participation screening, medical checkup.
2-Poor coaching or coaching error.
3-Lack of conditioning.
4-Improper use of sports equipments.
5-Inadequate or poorly maintained facilities.
6-Sportspersons’s psychosocial considerations
7-Inadequate First Aid care.
8-Inadequate rehabilitation
9-Premature return to participation after injury.