OPTION 3 SPORTS MEDICINE Flashcards
Ways to classify sports injuries: DIRECT
Caused by forces generated from outside the body
- E.G. tackle in rugby causes shoulder dislocation
- Signs & Symptoms = pain, tenderness, swelling, ↓ function, deformity
- Causes = collision or direct contact, external forces
Ways to classify sports injuries: INDIRECT
Caused by an intrinsic force and result from excessive stress on muscles, ligaments and tendons
- E.G. sprinter tearing a hamstring in a race
- Signs & Symptoms = pain, tenderness, swelling, ↓ function, deformity
- Causes = inadequate warm-up, excessive movement, internal force
Ways to classify sports injuries: SOFT
Acute damage to muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, skin, blood vessels, organs and nerves
- E.G. sprain (which may involve severe and requires long rehabilitation)
Ways to classify sports injuries: HARD
Damage affecting bones and teeth
- E.G. fractured tibia in the leg or dislodging a tooth
Ways to classify sports injuries: OVERUSE
sustained injuries from repetitive use of a particular body part over a long period of time
- E.G. a stress fracture in the tibia of a marathon runner
- Signs & Symptoms = persistent pain, tenderness, swelling, ↓ function
- Causes = repetitive use, trauma on bones/joints/tendons/muscle, poorly designed training schedules
Types of Soft Tissue Injuries
- Tears (strains)
- Sprains
- Contusions (bruise)
- Skin abrasions
- Lacerations
- Blisters
What are tears (strains)
Occurs when tissue is excessively stretched or severed
- Blood flow bruising may be present at the point of injury
- Grade 1: fibres stretched & minor tearing
- Grade 2: a considerable amount of damaged fibres
- Grade 3: full muscle tear
What are sprains
Arises from the stretching or tearing of a ligament (connects bone to bone) and severity is measured using grades
- 1st degree: little damage/minor tear
- 2nd degree: moderate damage/half tear
- 3rd degree: extensive damage/full tear
What are contusions (bruises)
Caused by a sudden blow to the body, thus interrupting blood flow to the surrounding tissues
- Varys in intensity
- E.G. a haematoma forms on the bone as the blood clots
What are skin abrasions
- The skin area may be embedded with dirt, so requires cleansing to prevent infection
- Causes pain and shallow bleeding as a result of the skin being scraped
- Treatment: gentle cleansing & sterilisation to prevent infection
What are lacerations
- Wounds where the flesh has incurred an irregular tear
- Treatment: Stop bleeding, prevent infection, apply a non-adherent dressing & immobilise the wound
What are blisters
- Caused by a collection of fluid below or within the epidermal layer of the skin
- if blister top breaks, an infection may occur so must be kept clean
Identify is the inflammatory response
When a soft tissue injury occurs, the body activates a self-healing response
- Involves vasodilation allowing for more blood & fluid to exit the vessels and increase white blood cells
- Has 3 phases within it
What is Phase 1 in the inflammatory response
- Inflammatory stage: occurs in the first 48 - 72 hours
- Inflammation & redness is fast and painful & involves the vasodilation of blood vessels
- Increased blood flow to area and formation of blood cells to promote healing
What is Phase 2 in the inflammatory response
- Repair stage: occurs after 3 days - 6 weeks
- The body begins to fix the damaged site
- White blood cells clean up the debris from the injury and new tissues are formed
- Proper healing as scar tissue is weaker than normal
What is Phase 3 in the inflammatory response
- Remodelling stage: occurs after 6 weeks - many months
- Remodelling varies depending on the severity of injury and rest period taken by an athlete
- Continues to rebuild the injured area, as scar tissue is strengthened
- Balance of rest/exercise is important to build athlete to full health
Why do you use RICER to manage soft tissue injuries
- Used to manage soft tissue injuries to reduce scarring and pain for faster recovery
- Immediately helps stop bleeding and swelling
‘R’ is for Rest
- Avoid using the injured area for 48 – 72 hours post-injury
- Resting ensures reduced blood flow, therefore reduced swelling & prevent further damage
‘I’ is for Ice
- Use ice or cold pack to reduce blood flow, pain and swelling
- Ice should remain for 20 mins every two hours for the first 48 hours
- Ice causes vasocontraction reducing inflammation, but when ice is off, blood flow continues & increases the inflammatory response
‘C’ is for Compression
- Apply elastic wrap or bandage with a firm pressure & maintain up to 72 hours
- Pressure helps force fluid away from the area reducing inflammation
‘E’ is for Elevation
- If possible, raise the injured area above the person’s heart (done in the first 72hrs)
- Assists in venous & lymphatic drainage of blood
- Eliminates the effects of gravity on blood pooling
‘R’ is for Referral
- To ensure no further damage, a referral to a medical professional or physio to be correctly diagnosed and full rehabilitation
Types of Hard Tissue Injuries
- Fractures
2. Dislocation
What are Fractures
Fractures can either be:
- Incomplete
- Complete
- Simple (bones breaks & remains under the skin)
- Compound (bones protrudes through the skin)
- They can be classified as greenstick, comminute, depressed or oblique
Management include:
- DRSABCD
- Control any bleeding
- Treating shock
- Splint to immobilise the area
- Medical assistance
What are dislocations
Dislocations are the displacement and deformity of a bone at a joint/ligament
- Only put into place by qualified professionals and application of RICER
- Use of immobilisation
- E.G. a dislocated long bone i.e. the tibia can be supported with a splint or sling (or rigid object)
Assessment of Injuries: TOTAPS
T = TALK to injured athlete & determine what happened through questions O = OBSERVE injury for deformity, swelling, bleeding, discolouration T = TOUCH gently gauge an increase in pain A = ACTIVE MOVEMENT (Ask the athlete to move injured body part) P = PASSIVE MOVEMENT (If an athlete has no pain, move their limbs gently and slowly and stop at point of restriction) S = SKILLS TEST (Ask the athlete to stand up, walk or jog slowly or specific skill of the game)
Sports medicine aim at types of athletes include:
- Children and young athletes
- Adult & aged athletes
- Female athletes
Medical condition, injuries & training within children and young athletes
- Asthma
- Epilepsy
- Diabetes
- Overuse injuries (stress fractures)
- Thermoregulation
- Application of resistance training
Explain the nature, implication & management of ASTHMA
NATURE
- Asthma = inflammation of airways, limiting airflow in & out of lungs
E.G. Exercise-Induced Asthma (EIA) – airways are dilated during the physical activity
IMPLICATION
- The cause is related to the cooling process of nerve endings in the air passageways, which is more extreme during running type activities
E.G. EIA = more likely to occur in long-distance/duration events
MANAGEMENT
- Exercise is more beneficial for asthmatics especially swimming to improve lung functions
- Athletes will have an asthma management plan – developed with GP
Explain the nature, implication & management of DIABETES
NATURE
- Diabetes = is where the pancreas does not produce enough insulin properly or efficiently
- Type 1 is genetic
- Type 2 is lifestyle-related
IMPLICATION
- Caution is required when participating in sports as exercise increases sugar utilisation
- Athlete requires a pre-game meal & hourly glucose supplementation otherwise blood sugar levels will increase
- May develop hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar)
MANAGEMENT
- The diabetic athlete must balance insulin by way of injection, food intake e.g. bananas and exercise if their physical performance is to be optimal
- Important to monitor & control glucose levels during exercise
Explain the nature, implication & management of EPILEPSY
NATURE
- Epilepsy is the disruption to brain function causing brief alteration to the level of consciousness resulting in seizures or fits and loss of body control
IMPLICATION
- Avoid solo activities or trigger sports as serious injury or death may occur
- Body temp extremes can trigger seizures
MANAGEMENT
- Seizures can be controlled through medication & doesn’t prevent sport’s participation
- Activities such as swimming, scuba diving and rock climbing should be avoided
- Hydrate/comfort/reassure/keep distance after seizure
Explain overuse injuries (stress fractures)
Stress fractures occur due to repeated use of a part of the body & causes tissue damage & considerable discomfort
- Young athletes are susceptible to overuse injuries = different growth rates in bone and soft tissue e.g. height
- Caused by high training/volume/intensity & frequency, poor warm-ups, lack of fitness, poor technique, etc
- To prevent: rest days, monitor training volume & intensity, avoid overuse of muscles & joints and correct technique & equipment
- Treatment: immediate rest (4-8wks), ice, maintain physical condition, physiological exercises
E.G. Tendonitis: the tendon attaches the muscles to the bone gets small tears that become inflamed
Explain the term ‘thermoregulation’
Thermoregulation: maintenance of stable core body temperature & vital for every athlete avoids hypothermia & hyperthermia
E.G. Conduction: transfer of heat between two objects in contact with each other. If an athlete is too hot, wear an ice vest
- Young athletes will overheat 3-5 times faster than adults due to underdeveloped sweat glands
- Coaches must take into consideration regular hydration, breaks (shade), appropriate clothing & exercise for temperature & extreme weather (may postpone/cancel)
Application of resistance training (RT) with children
RT = strengthens muscles, prevents injury, improves skill fitness. Heavy-weights before age 16 can damage grown plates, leading to stunted growth or injury
- 6-9 = 15+ RM = Light resistance
- 9-12 = 10-15 RM= Body weight resistance
- 12-15 = 8-15 RM = Body weight resistance & starting the use of free weights
- 15-18 = 6-15 RM = Progression towards an adult program can use complex movements – with training and supervision
