Write Away: Have you ever experienced a sports injury Write Away: Have you ever experienced a sports injury? Explain what happened

Sports Injuries Prevention

Some Vocabulary to start us off Ligament: a tough connective tissue/ fiber that connects bones, it joins one end of the bone to another Muscle: body tissue capable of contracting upon stimulation Tendon: tough tissue fiber that attaches muscle to bone Sprain: stretch or tear of the ligament Strain: the overstretching of a muscle that may result in tearing of a muscle or tendon

Knee Joint

How do injuries occur? ~ Lack of education and awareness about safety precautions and potential injury ~ Inappropriate gear ~Improper or lack of conditioning ~Insufficient warm up ~Going beyond your limits. LISTEN to your body ~Continuing to play with an injury/Returning too soon ~ Disrespectful Play

Acute vs. Chronic Chronic – develop slowly and last a long time Acute - occur suddenly Chronic – develop slowly and last a long time repetitive, overuse Overuse injuries are responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries to middle and high school student

How to know you have an injury Signs of Chronic injuries Pain when performing A dull ache when at rest Swelling Mild but cause future problems Signs of Acute injuries Sudden, severe, sharp pain Immediate swelling Extreme tenderness Deformity Weakness Decrease in range of motion Bruising and lack of proper blood circulation

Preventing injuries According to the CDC, more than half of all sports injuries in children are preventable. ~ Environment ~ Taking time off from the sport ~Conditioning ~Equipment

Preventing injuries Warming up/stretching properly before and after activity Taking time off from the sport at least one day per week (REST) Wearing proper gear Strengthen the muscles being used Increasing flexibility Compression sports wear

Preventing injuries cont. ~Using proper techniques ~Stop if feeling pain ~Hydrating properly ~Getting adequate sleep ~ Playing Safe ~ Nutrition / Balanced diet

Trends influencing injury rates… Specialization Year round availability Cost of college Television Extreme Sports

Factors affecting injury types Age Sport Gender Equipment

What do you think are 4 most common adolescent injuries?

Most common Adolescent injuries Sprain: in a joint, caused by ligaments being stretched Contusion: bruise Fracture: separation of a bone (broken bone) Concussion: a head injury with a temporary loss of brain function

Special considerations for adolescents Developing coordination Difference in size at same age Osgood Schlatter (OSD) Sever’s Disease Special concerns for females ACL injury rates Concussion susceptibility

Osgood- Schlatter An overuse condition Growing children and adolescents, particularly those who participate physical activity This is an age where the bones are typically growing faster than the muscles and tendons Bump below knee / tibia

Sever’s Results from inflammation of the growth plate in the heel The heel bone growing faster than the leg muscles and tendons Muscles and tendons to become very tight and overstretched, making the heel less flexible and putting pressure on the growth plate. Repeated stress causes swelling, tenderness, and pain

OSD Sever’s

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Important for proper movement Injuries range from mild to severe Injury is caused when: the Knee bent too much, knee receives direct impact when stable, knee is forced to make sharp changes of movement, stiff landing Determined by an individual if a popping sound is heard after impact, swelling after a couple hrs, severe pain, when the knee buckles or locks

Treatment Rest Ice Compression Elevation Sprain Contusion Fracture Concussion

When to return from an injury Each injury is unique Waiting too long can lead to de-conditioning Follow RICE and limit injury Discussion with doctor Use comfort as a guide Once strength and flexibility return Make sure you are pain free Swelling is gone

Training after injury To train after the injury you can: Physical therapy Cross training Gradually strengthen the injured area Circuit training Getting back in shape Stretching