Exercise physiology Injury prevention & rehabilitation 2.3.1 Classification of common injuries Learning Objective: To be able to describe the two main classifications for injuries.

Acute v Overuse These are the two main types of injury that you need to know Acute injuries: have a short onset period, they happen fairly rapidly, and are caused by a specific moment. cause sharp pain, which is fairly short lasting and isolated to a specific area of the body.

Overuse Injuries These are common in sports where athletes perform repetitive movements or actions. Soft tissues can become irritated from the stress they’re placed under if they aren’t given sufficient time to recover. Patellar tendonitis, achilles tendonitis, tennis elbow, golfers elbow and shin splints are all common overuse injuries in sport. In sport, overuse injuries tend to be chronic (develop over a longer time) but it is possible to suffer acute pain from overuse, when spending an afternoon decorating or gardening for example.

Contact v Non-contact Injuries can also be classified according to whether there was contact involved in the mechanism of the injury. Lots of sports are non-contact sports but still have a high injury rate. It is also possible to suffer the same injury in both a contact and non-contact situation.

Exercise physiology Injury prevention & rehabilitation 2.3.2 Acute Injuries 2.3.3 Overuse Injuries Learning Objective: To be able to describe common acute sports injuries and explain how they may occur. To be able to describe common overuse sports injuries and explain how they may occur.

Acute Injuries The most common acute sports injuries are: Soft Tissue Damage Strains Sprains Fractures Dislocations Cuts and Abrasions

Soft Tissue Injuries Sprains A ligament injury caused by a wrenching or twisting action (e.g. a twisted ankle) Strains A pulled or torn muscle (e.g. pulled hamstring). Torn cartilage (e.g knee meniscus) Cartilage protects the end of bones. It can become damaged and tear making movement very difficult and painful. Haematoma A local accumulation of blood in a tissue.

Achilles Tendon Rupture The achilles tendon can become separated partially (tear) or fully (rupture). This occurs when extremely high force is exerted in a short time  explosive movement. Most often this occurs when pushing off into a sprint from a stationary start. e.g Kobe Bryant (watch from 1.40)

Knee ligament injuries How ACL injuries occur ACL rupture example How ACL ruptures are repaired

Cruciate Ligaments What are the cruciate ligaments and where are they found? The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and the PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) are the two major ligaments in the knee They work together to provide stability in the knee They cross each other and form an 'X' which allows the knee to flex and extend without side to side movement.

Cause of Cruciate Ligament Injuries ACL injuries are most common during sports that require a sudden change of direction, sudden, abrupt stops and starts and lots of jumping. Injuries to these cruciate ligaments of the knee are typically sprains. The ACL is most often stretched, or torn by a sudden twisting motion while the feet remain planted PCL injuries are likely with impacts to the front of the knee, or from hyperextending the knee.

Rehabilitation of ACL injuries The degree of tear will determine the treatment The most common treatment for a torn ACL is arthroscopic surgery Sometimes ACL reconstruction is needed if completely torn A section of another tendon can be used to reconstruct Incomplete ACL and PCL tears are treated conservatively to allow the body to heal on its own. Rest, ice, compression and elevation are the immediate treatment or POLICE Anti-inflammatory medicine can help reduce pain Physical therapy is often recommended to regain and build muscle strength over time

Examine the different types of cruciate ligament injury Examine the different types of cruciate ligament injury. Include cause, consequence and rehabilitation in your answer. (8) CONTINUED…..

Dislocations A dislocation is when the ball of the ball-and-socket joint is separated from its normal position. Shoulder dislocation Dislocations can be caused by force to the joint itself or high force on the distal end of the arm (hand/wrist). Falling on an outstretched arm is another common mechanism for a dislocated shoulder. When dislocations occur, the ball may stay out of the shoulder and need to be put back into place, or it can slide back into normal position on its own. During a dislocation there is often damage caused to the ligaments and tendons surrounding the joint which may require surgery to prevent future dislocations.

Cuts & Abrasions When the skin is broken, often resulting in excessive bleeding. These injuries occur through contact. This could be contact with an opponent, equipment such as a hockey stick, or friction on the playing surface in a fall. In particular the area around the face and head is susceptible to cuts as there is very little soft tissue between the skin surface and hard bone.

Fractures There is a popular myth that fractures and breaks or different – this simply isn’t true. Whenever there is a crack to a bone it is a fracture. However, there are different types of fractures ranging in severity.

Overuse injuries Tendinopathy and Tendinitis are both injuries to the hard connective tissue between bone and muscle (tendons). Tendinitis is when the tendon becomes inflamed. Tendinopathy is when the tendon deteriorates over time without any inflammation. Examples of tendinopathy: Tennis elbow An overuse injury to the tendons at their lateral insertion at the elbow joint (outside). Often associated with racket sports and can be caused by poor technique or incorrect grip size. Golfer’s elbow Similar to tennis elbow but is damage to the tendons at their insertion on the medial side of the elbow (inside). Shin splints Stress Fractures