Sports Med: How are sports injuries classified and measured?

Question 1

Whats an indirect injury?

Answer 1

An indirect injury occurs due to internal forces without physical contact as the body builds up excess force within the muscles, tendons and joints.

eg. a sprinter tearing a hamstring during a race, OR a volleyball player causing stress to ligaments in the knee joint. a

Question 2

Whats a direct injury?

Answer 2

A direct injury is caused by an external force applied to the body. They tend to occur instantly, in one incident. The forces involved in direct injuries are often much greater and more severe than other sporting injuries.

eg. a ball is thrown at a baseball player and hits them in the face OR falling from an elevated position (rock climbing)

Question 3

Whats a soft tissue injury?

Answer 3

Soft injuries are injuries that occur to the skin, muscle, tendon or ligament.
they can result in internal bleeding and swelling.
They are the most common in sport.

eg. a net baller trips in a game and falls, resulting in an abrasion

Question 4

What are the different types of soft tissue injuries?

Answer 4

Tears/strain
Sprains
Contusions
Skin Abrasions
Laceratoins
Blisters
Inflammatory response

Question 5

Whats a hard tissue injury?

Answer 5

Injuries to bone and/or teeth.
They are caused by forces that exceed the strength of the bone, may result in fracture.
Can often lead to soft tissue injury, or blood loss and shock.

eg. a snowboarder falls onto their wrists, fracturing their carpals

Question 6

What are the different types of hard tissue injury?

Answer 6

Fractures
Dislocations

Question 7

What is RICER?

Answer 7

RICER (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Referral) is a management approach to soft tissue injuries and cannot be used in conjunction with HARM (Heat, Alcohol, Running, Massage)

Question 8

Describe the different characteristics of RICER

Answer 8

REST- keep injured area supported, avoid using injured area for 48-72 hours. (reduces heart rate and blood flow to minimise swelling)

ICE-apply ice for 20 mins, every two hours for 48-72 hrs after injury. (temperature causes vasoconstriction of the blood vessels, reducing swelling)

COMPRESSION- apply a firm, wide elastic band on, above and below the injured area, maintaining during ice treatments. Check for circulation issues by looking at the colour of the skin below injured area. Ensure it is firm. (physical method to reduce swelling)

ELEVATION- raise injured area above level of heart at all times. (reduces swelling as blood flow works against gravity)

REFERRAL- to health professional ASAP to determent extent of injury and provide advice on treatment/rehab if necessary.

Question 9

Whats a tear or strain and what’s it caused by?

Answer 9

A strain is when a muscle stretches too much, resulting in a tear, causing pain, bleeding and perhaps discolouration. eg. hamstring tear

treated by RICER

Question 10

what’s a sprain?

Answer 10

A sprain is a stretching or tearing of ligaments. results in pain, swelling, inability to perform movements and healing is slow due to poor blood supply to ligaments. it is caused by a sudden blow, eg. rolling an ankle when landing incorrectly after jumping

treated by RICER

Question 11

Whats a contusion?

Answer 11

A contusion is a bruise, which is formed by blood pooling in the site of injury. bruises are caused by sudden impact eg. running into an opposing team player.

Question 12

Whats a skin abrasion?

Answer 12

it is a superficial injury, where the epidermis (top layers) of skin have been broken. (scraped skin). eg. falling onto a hard, dry surface whilst playing a game.

Question 13

Whats a laceration?

Answer 13

A jagged tear in the tissue of the skin by either shearing or crushing force. eg. scrape against a stray piece of metal on the ground.

Question 14

Whats a blister?

Answer 14

Fluid-filled sacs on the outer layer of the skin. most common on hands and feet.

they are caused by friction, rubbing and heat.
eg. a rower develops blisters on their palms and fingers due to consistent friction. OR feet rubbing against the inside of shoes.

Question 15

What is the inflammatory response and the three phases of it?

Answer 15

Inflammatory response is the bodys response to healing an injury.
STAGE 1: inflammatory stage(1st-72hrs)- redness, pain, swelling, loss of function/mobility, blood flow to area promotes healing

STAGE 2: regenerative stage(3days-6weeks)- removal of damaged tissue, formation of new fibres and production of scar tissue.

STAGE 3: remodelling stage(6weeks-months)- production of scar tissue, rehab exercises to strengthen and develop replacement tissue.