KIN2303 - Sports Injuries Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing core kinesiology concepts, mechanical loading types, tissue mechanics, injury classifications, inflammatory response signs, and risk factors.

Mechanical load

Any external force or load applied to the body.

Mechanical loading types

The five distinct forces that can act on the body: tension, compression, bending, shear, and torsion.

Tension

A mechanical force that results in stretching and pulling, which can cause tendon or ligament injuries when tissue capacity is exceeded.

Compression

A mechanical force that tends to press or squeeze tissues together, which can result in bone contusions or vertebral fractures.

Shear

Forces acting parallel to each other in opposite directions that tend to cause sliding between surfaces or tears between tissue layers.

Bending

A mechanical loading force that causes a structure to curve or bow, placing one side under tension and the opposite side under compression.

Torsion

A twisting force applied around a structure's long axis that combines shear and tension forces.

Elasticity

The capacity of a biological tissue or structure to return to its original shape after the applied load is removed.

Strength

The capacity of a structure to withstand load, defined by the maximum load it can carry before ultimate failure.

Stiffness

The capacity of a structure to resist deformation, represented by the slope of the initial straight-line portion of a load-deformation curve.

Toughness

The capacity of a structure to store energy within itself before failing, measured as the total area under the load-deformation curve.

Load-deformation curve

A plot that shows the relationship between an applied load and the resulting deformation of a structure.

Elastic region

The initial area on a load-deformation curve where tissue deformation is fully reversible once the force is removed.

Elastic limit

The point marking the end of the elastic region beyond which tissue cannot return to its original shape and begins to suffer microdamage.

Plastic region

The region of a load-deformation curve where applied force leads to permanent deformation of the structure.

Ultimate failure

The highest load a tissue structure can withstand before experiencing complete mechanical failure or rupture.

Mechanism of injury

The underlying cause of an injury, describing how it occurred and what loads and stresses were applied.

Sign

An objective indicator of injury observed by a clinician, such as deformity, swelling, or redness.

Symptom

A subjective sensation reported by the patient, such as pain, dizziness, or feeling foggy.

Acute injury

A sudden traumatic injury caused by a single load that produces stress exceeding the tissue's elastic limit.

Overuse injury

An injury caused by repetitive loads without adequate recovery time, occurring when the rate of tissue damage exceeds the rate of repair.

Contusion

An acute injury resulting in a bruise, characterized by hematoma formation as blood and lymph flow into surrounding tissue.

Bursitis

Irritation or inflammation of a bursa, a small fluid-filled sac that reduces friction between bones, tendons, muscles, and skin.

Strain

A stretch, tear, or rip occurring in a muscle, tendon, or adjacent tissue due to excessive tensile stress.

Sprain

Stretching or tearing of ligaments or a joint capsule resulting from excessive bending or torsional forces at a joint.

Dislocation

Complete separation of joint surfaces where at least one bone is forced out of its normal anatomical position.

Subluxation

A partial dislocation of a joint featuring incomplete separation of joint surfaces.

Fracture

A disruption in the structural continuity of a bone caused by direct or indirect loading forces.

Crepitus

A grinding, popping, or crackling noise or sensation experienced when moving a joint or fractured bone.

Fracture classification

Various types of bone breaks including greenstick, comminuted, linear, transverse nondisplaced, oblique nondisplaced, spiral, compound, and avulsion fractures.

Greenstick fracture

An incomplete bone fracture where one side breaks while the other remains intact, commonly seen in children.

Comminuted fracture

A serious type of bone fracture where the bone splinters or breaks into three or more pieces.

Linear fracture

A straight crack in a bone that runs parallel to its long axis.

Spiral fracture

A bone break caused by a twisting force, resulting in a fracture line that spirals around the bone axis.

Compound (open) fracture

A bone fracture where the broken bone penetrates through the skin, exposing tissue to external infection risks.

Avulsion fracture

A fracture occurring when a attached tendon or ligament pulls a portion of the bone away from the main bone structure.

Stress fracture

A micro-fracture that develops over weeks or months due to repetitive compressive or bending loads.

Tendinopathy

A degenerative tendon condition caused by repetitive tensile loading, resulting in localized pain and weakness.

Concussion

A transient disturbance of brain function caused by rapid acceleration/deceleration forces applied to the head.

Phases of tissue healing

The sequential stages of tissue recovery: Inflammatory response phase (0–4 days), Fibroblastic repair phase (2 days–6 weeks), and Maturation-remodeling phase (3 weeks–months/years).

Five cardinal signs of inflammation

The clinical hallmarks of local tissue inflammation: redness (rubor), heat (calor), swelling (tumor), pain (dolor), and loss of function (functio laesa).

Granulation tissue

New connective tissue and capillary network that forms in a wound bed during the fibroblastic repair phase.

Intrinsic risk factors

Internal individual factors that influence injury risk, such as age, sex, bone density, tissue strength, and movement technique.

Extrinsic risk factors

External environmental variables affecting injury risk, including weather, playing surfaces, rules, and protective equipment.