CQ 1:

How are sports injuries classified and managed?

Activity 2: Complete the table below

ways to classify sports injuries

- direct and indirect

- soft and hard tissue

- overuse

If injuries are classified according to cause, the three categories are direct injury, indirect injury and overuse injury. If injuries are classified according to the type of body tissue damaged, the two categories are soft-tissue injury and hard-tissue injury.

Direct and Indirect

Direct injuries are those that are sustained through a direct external force causing injury at the point of contact with the injured player e.g. hit by a ball, bat, person.

These are very common injuries in sport. Often they are bruises, broken bones, dislocations, abrasions, and blisters.

Reference: Jacaranda Outcomes

Direct force = opposition

(another competitor)

Direct force = diving board

(equipment)

Indirect injurious typically involve damage to soft tissues such as tendons, ligaments or muscles of the body through internal forces that exceed the normal function of the injured part, thereby causing injury. e.g. pulled hamstring, sprained ankle.

Internal forces are often generated by muscles, but includes forces transferred from the outside e.g. fall onto your arm, but injury your shoulder. Sprains and strains are always classified as indirect injuries as an external force does not cause tears in ligaments or muscles. Other common indirect injuries are: dislocations and breaks.

Reference: Cambridge PDHPE

Ouch!!!!

Soft Tissue injuries

Injuries are classified as soft tissue injuries if they occur to soft tissue in the body. Soft tissue includes all muscles, ligaments, tendons, skin, organs etc. Everything except bone and teeth. Soft tissue injuries can be direct such as a blister or bruise at the sight of external force, or they can be indirect injuries caused by internal forces such as a strain or sprain. e.g. a sprained ankle is a indirect soft tissue injury or a black eye from a punch to the eye is a direct soft tissue injury.

Abrasion

Tear

Blister

Bruise

Hard Tissue injuries

Hard tissue injuries are injuries to the bone or teeth. Hard tissue injuries include breaks and dislocations, including lost teeth. Hard tissue injuries are less frequent than soft tissue injuries in sport, but are often more serious. An example of a hard tissue injury is a dislocated shoulder from a poor tackle in rugby league, therefore also direct.

Soft and hard tissue injury classifications are opposing and cannot be combined in the classification of sports injuries.

Reference: pdhpe.net

Tooth

Ulna/Radius Fracture

Broken Collar bone

Broken bone in wrist

Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries develop due to overly repetitive or continuous tasks, incorrect techniques/equipment or over-training. The loaded tissue cannot withstand the repetitive loads being placed upon it, so the injury develops. Eg: A tennis player develops tendonitis/inflammation in their elbow from practising too many backhands. *Stress fractures are also over-use injuries.

*A stress fracture is an overuse injury. It occurs when muscles become fatigued and are unable to absorb added shock. Eventually, the fatigued muscle transfers the overload of stress to the bone causing a tiny crack called a stress fracture.

Reference: OrthoInfo.org

Activity 3: Complete the table below

Activity 4: AFL injury list 2007

soft tissue injuries

- tears, sprains, contusions

- skin abrasions, lacerations, blisters

- inflammatory response

Activity 5: Complete the table below by matching the soft tissue injury with the correct definition

Muscle strain

Image reference: quayhealth.com.au

Grades of severity of strain and tears in muscle fibres

Ligament sprain

Image reference: therapydiadenver.com.au

Grades of severity of sprains in ligaments

Activity 6: List three sports that the following soft tissue injuries commonly occur in

Activity 6: Research Task:

a) Explain the inflammatory response (5 marks)

b) Find images that represent each phase/stage of the inflammatory response and add them to your notes.

RICER

Management of soft tissue injuries

Refer to handout - attached to your notes

Activity 7:

View the 13min summary of soft tissue below from PDHPE.net

Revision Questions:

Explain the difference between direct and indirect injuries (2 marks)
Explain the difference between a strain and a sprain (2 marks)
Describe how the inflammatory response would function is a person incurred a contusion (3 marks)
Outline the advantages of rest, ice, compression, elevation and referral in assisting soft tissue injury (3 marks)

hard tissue injuries

- fracture

- dislocation

There are three primary classifications of fractures:

— simple and compound and complication

In simple (closed) fractures, the bone breaks but remains underneath the skin (figure a).

In compound (open) fractures, the bone breaks and protrudes through the skin (figure b).

Complicated is where the bone is broken and causes internal damage to a major nerve, organ or blood vessel (urgent medical intervention is required).

Reference: Jacaranda OutcomesImage Reference: Jacaranda Outcomes

There are many different types of fracture. These include greenstick, comminuted, depressed, impacted, oblique, longitudinal, spiral and transverse.

Management of all fractures involves initial attention to DRSABCD

(Danger, Response, Send for help, Airways, Compressions and Defibrillation.

If the patient/injured athlete's vital signs are good, proceed to gentle immobilisation of the limb and call.

Image reference: link

Management of fractures requires:

DRSABCD

controlling bleeding
treating shock
use of a splint and bandage to immobilise (restrict movement)
immediate medical assistance

Question: What are the signs that someone has gone into shock?

(answer below)

Most suspected fracture type injuries require medical attention.

Generally, medical attention is required if:

there is obvious deformity
there is uncontrolled bleeding
the casualty is unable to complete the TOTAPS regime

Reference: Jacaranda Outcomes

Dislocation

the displacement of a bone at a joint
causes pain and is apparent because of the deformity they cause.
technically a dislocation is not a hard tissue injury because, although the bone is displaced, it is not damaged. The real damage is to ligaments that have been stretched or ruptured
the bone actually comes out of the joint and remains out until it is physically reinserted
Dislocations should not be put back in place except by a qualified practitioner, as more damage can occur if the placement is incorrect

The common signs and symptoms of dislocation are:

deformity and swelling
pain and tenderness
loss of function

Reference: Jacaranda Outcomes

assessment of injuries

- TOTAPS

TOTAPS is an acronym that stands for:

talk
observe
touch
active movement
passive movement
skills test.

It is used to assess the extent of injury to a player and determine whether or not the injured person can return to the field. If the player can complete all tasks required, they should be allowed to return to play.

However, if the player is unable to complete any one of the requirements, the player should be allowed to return to the field only after assessment from a qualified medical practitioner.

Assessment can be stopped at any stage if damage is apparent; for example, if the player feels pain. In the case of minor injuries, it is often possible to continue play. However, should there be a risk of further damage through continued play, it is advisable to remove the player from the game.

Reference: Jacaranda Outcomes

PDHPE CQ1: Hard Tissue Injuries - Classification and Management (10min clip)

Activity 7: Complete the question below from the 2018 HSC Paper

Question 30 — Sports Medicine (20 marks)

(a) An athlete running a 400-metre race experiences a hamstring strain in the sprint towards the finish line.

Explain the classification and management of the athlete’s injury

See Marking Criteria below and Sample Answer on Page 19 of link

Activity 8: Complete the question below from the 2019 HSC Paper

Question 30 — Sports Medicine (20 marks)

(a) An athlete dives towards the ground in an attempt to score a try in a game of touch football. The athlete hears a loud crack and remains on the ground, clutching the injured shoulder.

(i) Explain the assessment procedures that should be used to determine the nature and extent of this injury. (4 mark)

(ii) Describe the management of fractures and dislocations. (4 mark)

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