Injuries

Typical sports injuries from participation in physical activity and sport: concussion; fractures; dislocation; sprain; torn cartilage and soft tissue injury (strain, tennis elbow, golfers elbow, abrasions).

Concussion; A mild brain injury, caused by a blow to head causes brain to hit the skull. Signs and Symptoms include confusion, memory loss about the accident, nausea or actual vomiting.

A fracture is a break or crack in a bone.These can be compound (or open) when the bone has broken through the tissue and skin; or simple (or closed) when the break has not come through the tissue and skin.

Other types of fractures include, stress (small cracks developing in the bone through overuse), spiral (when the bone cracks around and along its length), greenstick (a crack to one side of the bone, that does not extend through the diameter of the bone). Fractures be the consequence of trauma for example as a result of direct force from being kicked in football; or through a chronic injury such as overuse.

A dislocation is a joint injury where the bone is forced out of its normal position often coupled with a fracture. Common joints dislocated in sports are the thumb, elbow, shoulder, and fingers. It is common that dislocations will be coupled with a fracture of one of the bones that make up the joint, sprains and other soft tissue injuries.

Ligament sprains, are a Joint injury and occur when there is a tear or rupture of the fibres of a ligament. It is very likely that you will have sprained a ligament in your ankle or wrist, as the ligaments around these joints are frequently injured during childhood and adolescence. Torn ligament are often caused by a wrenched or twisted joint (such as a twisted ankle) usually due to uneven playing surface or landing awkwardly.

Torn cartilage is another joint injury. Cartilage is a tough, flexible tissue found throughout the body. It covers the surface of joints, acting as a shock absorber and allowing bones to slide over one another. Torn cartilage is when there is rupturing of the cartilage. In some cases, a piece of the shredded cartilage breaks loose and catches in the knee joint, causing it to lock up. The knee cartilage of called the meniscus and is often damaged through sport. Actions that causes the athlete to forcefully twist or rotate your knee, especially when putting the pressure of their full weight on it, can lead to a torn meniscus.

Soft tissue injuries include strains, tennis elbow, golfers elbow, abrasions. signs and symptoms of soft tissue injuries include pain, swelling, tenderness, discolouration, bruising, lack of mobility or limping.

Muscle strains occur when a muscle is unable to cope with a force that is applied to it. Some or all of the fibres within the muscle tear or rupture. Torn or pulled muscle are types of strains (e.g. pulled hamstring)and can occur due to not warming up or overstretching.

Tennis elbow and golfers elbow are both joint injuries. Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow are common types of elbow tendinitis (inflammation of the tendon). They can develop as a result of sports participation or from direct trauma. They are more often caused by overuse of the muscles in the forearm in day to day tasks.

The difference between the two conditions lies in where the elbow is inflamed. Both Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow are forms of an inflammation of tendons that attach to the elbow. Tennis Elbow affects the outside (lateral) and Golfer’s Elbow affects the inside (medial) tendon.

Abrasions are when there is breaking of the skin or the top layer of skin is scraped off. This is a common injury in sport associated with falling or friction.

Rest from exercise/playing sport will give you time to recover, it helps the healing process and fights infection

Ice cools tissues and constricts blood vessels which reduces swelling. Be care not to place ice directly on the skin (this can lead to further injuries such as burns) use a clean cloth.

Compression is applying pressure on injured area, this helps to stop swelling and bleeding.

Elevation is raising injured part to reduce swelling and bleeding.

Injuries can be prevented through:

• correct application of the principles of training (to avoid overuse injuries)
• correct application and adherence to the rules of an activity during play/participation
• use of appropriate protective clothing and equipment
• checking of equipment and facilities before use.