Care & Prevention of AT: Chapter 1

Concepts of Sports Injury

Injury

act that damages or hurts

To qualify as an injury, that injury must meet certain criteria

occurs as result of participation in practice or game, requires medical attention by physician or ATC, result in restriction of participation

Once identified, an injury can described in terms of?

types of tissues involved

Acute Injury

characterized by rapid onset, resulting form a traumatic event

Acute injuries involve what?

significant trauma followed by pain, swelling, and loss of function

Critical Force

magnitude of a single force for which the anatomical structure of interest is damaged

Chronic Injury

characterized by a slow, insidious onset, implying a gradual development of structural damage

Chronic injuries develop over time and are often associated with what?

repetitive, cyclic activities, such as running

Overuse Injuries

achilles tendon, patellar tendon, rotator cuff

Intrinsic Factors

immature cartilage, lack of flexibility, lack of proper conditioning, psychological factors

Extrinsic Factors

excessive training, lack of adequate recovery, incorrect technique, playing on uneven or hard surfaces

Catastrophic Injuries

involve damage to the brain and/or spinal cord, can be life threatening or cause permanent damage, can occur as a direct or indirect result of sports participation

Sprains

injuries to ligaments

First-degree Sprain

mild pain with little/no swelling

Second-degree Sprain

ligament damage, pain, moderate swelling, and dysfunction

Third-degree Sprain

complete tear of ligament(s), pain, swelling, dysfunction leading to a loss of stability (subluxations/dislocation)

Strains

injuries to tendons, muscles, or musculotendonous junctions

First-degree Strain

mild with little/no swelling, pain noticeable with use

Second-degree Strain

more extensive soft-tissue damage, pain and moderate loss of function

Third-degree Strain

complete rupture, significant swelling, loss of function, and possible defect in muscle

Contusions

bruises, results from direct blows to the body surface, causing a compression of underlying tissue

Contusions are associated with what?

pain, stiffness, swelling, eccymosis, hematoma

Contusions may result in what?

myositis ossificans—a bonelike formation within the muscle tissue

Fractures

breaks or cracks in a bone

Fractures result in what?

swelling, loss of use, deformity, grating sensation (crepitation), pain & tenderness, history

Types of Fractures

closed, open, salter harris (epiphyseal growth plate structure)

Stress Fractures (pain/tenderness)

hot spot

Stress Fractures (absence of trauma)

no account of traumatic event

Stress Fractures (repetitive activity)

repeated stress

Stress Fractures (duration)

slowly developed

Dislocation

displacement of contiguous surfaces or bones comprising a joint

Subluxation

partial displacement

Luxation

complete displacement

All dislocations should be?

diagnosed and treated by a physician

The athletes’ health and safety are determined by?

the decisions and subsequent actions of the coach or sports medicine personnel

Epidemiology of Sports Injury

involves determining risk factors that may play a causative role in the injury

Risk Factors may be inherent to the sport

collisions in tackle football, equipment failure, physical attributes of muscle imbalance, obesity, congenital conditions