Safety Practices and Sports

Injury Management (pt.1)

According to Luig and Henke (2012), injury prevention
in sports has a great benefit for individuals. Engaging
in sports and physical activities gives a better health to
individuals and enhances sports performance while
enhancing sustainability of active lifestyles in
populations and likewise reducing the costs of the
health care system and of employers.
What are injuries? Why is my risk
at getting injured higher now that
I am more active?
As cited in www.coursehero.com, individuals who
engage in various types of physical activities like sports
and exercise, have a higher risk of getting injured as
compared to those who practice a sedentary lifestyle.
However, the potential benefits of an active lifestyle
outweigh the risks of suffering an injury.
Factors influencing the ability of our tissues or organs
to effectively resist or absorb forces include inherent
abnormality, age, technique, fitness level, equipment,
and environmental aspects.
Tissues and organs react to the impact and direction of
the force. Tensile forces are those that act away from
the center of the structure, causing a pull or stretch.
Compressive forces impact the center causing it to
bend or fold.
Its ability to withstand sudden or acute forces also
depends on the tissues (i.e., fat) that soften the impact
on the structure. In general, sports injuries can be
classified into two: acute and chronic/overuse. Acute
injures have signs and symptoms (e.g., pain, swelling)
that manifest immediately after force application. On
the other hand, the signs and symptoms of chronic or
overuse injuries occur after a long period of exposure
to the force.
Sprains, strains, fractures, dislocations, and wounds
are examples of acute injuries. An excessive stretching
force can cause the fibers of the ligament, muscle, or
tendon to break. An overstretched ligament is called a
sprain. A strain is also caused by excessive stretching
that causes tears in the muscle-tendon unit. Fractures
are breaks in the continuity of the bone. It usually
occurs as a result of high impact forces that cause the
bone to bend or twist. Dislocations are bones that are
pushed out from their joint capsule.
COMMON SPORTS INJURIES
In www.polarisspine.com, participating in one or more
sports is a vital part of a healthy, active lifestyle which
is good for the heart, good for the respiration, good for
building and maintaining muscular strength, etc. The
risk of injury should obviously not deter you from
playing sports; but, by being aware of some of the
most common sports injuries, you can take steps to
prevent them or at least reduce the risk of getting hurt.
Strain
Strains are by far the most common of all sports-
related injuries simply because we use so many
muscles and tendons when we exercise or play. These
moving parts are all susceptible to stretching farther
than they should, or moving in ways they shouldn’t
move, leaving them torn, damaged and in pain.
Common muscle strains include pulled hamstrings,
pulled groin muscles and strained quads. Most strains
are minor and heal naturally with rest. The best way to
reduce the risk of strained muscles and tendons is to
warm up and stretch before engaging in strenuous
activity.
Sprain
Sprains are to ligaments what strains are to muscles.
Ligaments are the tissues that connect bone to bone.
When these ligaments turn in a wrong way, they can
pull or tear. Ankle sprains are perhaps the most
frequent type of sprain among athletes, followed
closely by knee sprains, wrist and elbow sprains, etc.
Sprains can be painful, take longer to heal than strains,
and sometimes require immobilization to protect
against further injury. Pre-workout stretches and
warm-ups can help deter sprains, as well as practicing
good technique in the sport you’re playing.
Sprains often leave the ligament weak and susceptible
to future sprains, so if you have a history of spraining a
knee or ankle, for example, it would be good idea to
support that joint with a brace while playing.
Fracture
Impact and contact sports often lead to fractures of
the bone (mostly arms, legs and feet), all of which can
be painful, take weeks of immobilization to heal and
may sometimes require surgery to correct. Fractures
are an inherent risk with most strenuous and/or
contact sports, but you can reduce the risk by wearing
the appropriate padding warming up, working out to
keep muscles strong and flexible, practicing good
technique, etc.
Dislocation
In www.mayoclinic.org defines, “dislocation is an
injury in which the ends of your bones are forced from
their normal positions. The cause is usually trauma
resulting from a fall, an auto accident, or a collision
during contact or high-speed sports. Dislocation
usually involves the body's larger joints. In adults, the
most common site of the injury is the shoulder. In
children, it's the elbow. Your thumb and fingers also
are vulnerable if forcibly bent the wrong way.
The injury will temporarily deform and
immobilize your joint and may result in sudden
and severe pain and swelling. A dislocation
requires prompt medical attention to return your
bones to their proper positions”.
Concussion
In www.polarisspine.com defines, concussion occurs
when a sudden impact to the head causes the brain to
lurch inside the skull, sometimes damaging the tissues
holding it in place. Concussions may be mild to severe,
with symptoms ranging from headache and dizziness
to sleepiness and temporary loss of consciousness.
Always seek a medical evaluation from a spine-and-
brain specialist with any blow to the head, as
sometimes more serious symptoms may occur after
the fact.
The best way to reduce the risk of concussion is to
wear appropriate protective headgear when playing
contact sports like hockey or football, or when biking
or skateboarding, etc.
What are the most common chronic
injuries?
Hong (2017) defines, “exercising and sports are good
for you, but they sometimes lead to injury. Some
sports injuries result from accidents while others are
due to poor training practices, improper equipment or
lacking of conditioning”.
Stress Fracture
According to Dr. Hilal Ahmad Rather (2018), a stress
fracture is a fatigue- induced bone fracture caused by
repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a
single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of
accumulated injury from repeated submaximal
loading, such as running or jumping. Because of this
mechanism, stress fractures are common overuse
injuries in athletes.
He added that chronic injury as the result of
prolonged, repetitive motion that is particularly
common in endurance sports such as swimming,
running and cycling. As such, chronic injuries are
often referred to as overuse injuries resulting from
overusing one body area while playing a sport or
exercising over a long period.
This type of fracture does not require immobilization,
but the individual has to stop exercise for around four
weeks to give it time to heal.
Tendinopathy/Tendinitis
As cited in www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au,
“tendinopathy, also known as tendinitis or
tendonitis, is a type of tendon disorder that results in
pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is
typically worse with movement. It most commonly
occurs around the commonly affects the shoulder,
wrist, knee, shin and heel”.
Osteoarthritis
In www.hopkinsmedicine.org, “osteoarthritis is the
most common form of arthritis. It is a chronic
degenerative joint disease that affects mostly middle-
aged and older adults. Osteoarthritis causes the
breakdown of joint cartilage. It can occur in any joint,
but it most often affects the hands, knees, hips, or
spine”.
Bursitis
Tyler Wheeler (2019) defines bursitis as an
inflammation or irritation of a bursa sac. You have
these sacs all over your body. They’re filled with fluid
that helps ease rubbing and friction between tissues
like bone, muscle, tendons, and skin. Bursitis is
common around major joints like your shoulder,
elbow, hip, or knee.
Part 2
HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES
In www.hopkinsmedicine.org, “exposure to abnormal
or prolonged amounts of heat and humidity without
relief or adequate fluid intake can cause various types
of heat-related illness. Children and teens adjust more
slowly than adults do to changes in environmental
heat. They also produce more heat with activity than
adults and sweat less. Sweating is one of the body's
normal cooling mechanisms. Children and teens often
do not think to rest when having fun and may not
drink enough fluids when playing, exercising, or
participating in sports”.
3 types of heat-related illnesses:

Heat cramps- are the

mildest form of heat
illness and consist of
painful muscle cramps
and spasms that occur
during or after intense
exercise and sweating in
high heat.
Heat exhaustion- is more severe than heat cramps
and results from a loss of water and salt in the body. It
occurs in conditions of extreme heat and excessive
sweating without adequate fluid and salt replacement.
Heat exhaustion occurs when the body is unable to
cool itself properly and, if left untreated, can progress
to heat stroke.
Heat stroke- the most severe form of heat illness
occurs when the body's heat- regulating system is
overwhelmed by excessive heat. It is a life-threatening
emergency and requires immediate medical attention.
SPORTS INJURY PREVENTION AND
MANAGEMENT

According to Elizabeth Quinn (2019), “whether you

play sports for competition or fitness, you don't want
to be sidelined with an injury. Time away from the
game or in forced inactivity is something we all want
to avoid. While it is impossible to prevent every injury,
the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says
research suggests that injury rates could be reduced by
25% if athletes took appropriate preventative action”.
Quinn suggested to use these general rules for
injury prevention no matter what sport you play.
Be in Proper Physical Condition to Play a Sport
Know and Abide by the Rules of the Sport
Wear Appropriate Protective Gear and Equipment
Rest
Always Warm-Up Before Playing
Avoid Playing When Very Tired or in Pain
SPORTS INJURY MANAGEMENT

In www.podiatrymed.co.nz/ defines, “Sports Injury

Management is the management of a specific injury to
allow an individual to return or continue their chosen
sport without damaging or compromising their body.
Managing a sports injury correctly is important and
can help to minimize damage to a muscle, tendon,
ligament, and joint, hence, increasing the chance of a
full recovery”.
First Aid Techniques to Injuries
Initially, the objective for healing any soft tissue injury is to minimize swelling and bleeding.
Reducing movement, and in some cases immobilizing the injured area, is one of the simplest
REST methods to reduce further injury and promote healing

Cooling the injured area serves to slow down tissue metabolism. It may cause contraction of
blood vessels which will slow down blood flow and assist with reducing swelling. Ice can also
provide a temporary numbing effect to assist with short term pain relief as well. Ensure that
intense cooling is not applied directly to the skin to minimize the potential for skin burns.
ICE

Compressing an injured area can have a direct effect on swelling. Applying a bandage to the area
can help to limit the amount of bleeding that occurs in an isolated area. Caution needs to be
COMPRESSION taken to ensure that any compressive bandage is firm, however does not reduce
the normal circulation to the area

Elevating the injured area will also serve to reduce the collection of fluid to the area by limiting
the effect of gravity. For foot or leg injuries, lying with the injured area elevated above the level of
ELEVATION the pelvis with the use of pillows is an easy start.

While RICER helps promote healing in the early stages

of injury to get the right diagnosis you need to see an appropriate health professional
REFER
In the first few days of an injury,
remember to avoid HARM:
HEAT Heat will cause blood vessels to dilate which in turn will increase the flow of blood to
the area. Avoid hot baths, showers, saunas, heat packs, and heat rubs.

Alcohol can increase swelling, resulting to longer recovery. Similar to heat, alcohol
has an effect of dilating blood vessels, which in turn will increase the flow of blood
to the area. Alcohol can also mask pain and the severity of the injury, which may put
ALCOHOL you at greater risk for re-injury. Avoid drinking alcohol in the initial stages of
healing any injury.

RUNNING OR OTHER An increase in heart rate increases the flow of blood around the body. This will
EXCESSIVE EXERCISE cause blood to accumulate in the area faster. Take the opportunity to rest.

MASSAGE Massaging the area, once again, will stimulate the flow of blood to the area. Avoid
massage in the initial stages of injury.


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