Sports Med IQ1

Question 1

Definition of a direct injury and an example

Answer 1

An injury caused by direct forces generated outside the body e.g. broken nose as a result of being tackled.

Question 2

Definition of an indirect injury and an example

Answer 2

Caused by an intrinsic force and result from excessive stress on muscles around joints, typically due to inadequate warm up, explosive movement, excessive movement or fault in execution. E.g. netball player puts out her hands to break fall and shoulder pops out of its socket.

Question 3

Definition of a soft tissue injury and an example

Answer 3

Includes damage to muscle, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, skin, blood vessels, organs and nerves. E.g. sprains, strains, contusions.

Question 4

Define a hard tissue injury and give an example

Answer 4

Tissue which is mineralised and has a firm intercellular matrix. The hard tissues of humans are bone, tooth, enamel, dentin and cementum. E.g. dislodging a tooth, fracturing a bone.

Question 5

Define an overuse injury and give example

Answer 5

Result from intense, unreasonable or repetitive movements through a small range of motion e.g. jogging.
E.g. tennis elbow, stress fracture, anterior shin splints

Question 6

What is a strain and what are body structure affected?

Answer 6

Definition: A strain is the overstretching or tearing of muscles or tendons. Affects muscles and tendons

Question 7

What are the signs and symptoms of a strain?

Answer 7

Causes considerable pain, bleeding and discolouration around the injury. Any movement in the form of stretching and any pressure around the injury will result in sharp pain.

Question 8

What is a strain and what are the body structures affected.

Answer 8

Sprains occur when ligaments are stretched or torn.

Question 9

What are the signs and symptoms of a sprain?

Answer 9

Results in pain, swelling and the inability to perform normal joint movements.

Question 10

What is a contusion and what are the body structures affected?

Answer 10

Contusions interrupt blood flow to the surrounding tissue. When this occurs a haematoma forms as blood clots in the connective tissue membrane.
Affects bone, muscle and tissue.

Question 11

What are the signs and symptoms of a contusion?

Answer 11

Discolouration of skin.
Tightness in the affected muscle or stiffness in affected joint
swelling
tenderness
trouble bending or using the affected area.

Question 12

Provide a description of an abrasion

Answer 12

Caused by skin being scraped. Area may be embedded with dirt and foreign materials.

Question 13

What are the signs and symptoms of abrasions

Answer 13

Signs: Minor bleeding
Symptoms: Pain around affected area

Question 14

What is the treatment of an abrasion

Answer 14

Gentle cleaning and sterilisation of the wound to prevent infection.

Question 15

What is a laceration

Answer 15

Wound where flesh has incurred an irregular tear

Question 16

Signs and symptoms of a laceration

Answer 16

Signs: Swelling, bleeding, bruising
Symptom: Pain

Question 17

Treatment of a laceration

Answer 17

Tears longer than 1cm need to be referred to a doctor to be stitched.
Should be cleaned and a sterile pad applied to prevent infection. Pressure should be applied to stop bleeding.

Question 18

What is a blister?

Answer 18

Caused by a collection of fluid below or within the epidermal layer of skin

Question 19

Signs and symptoms of blisters

Answer 19

Signs: Raised lump filled with clear fluid or sometimes blood.
Reddened tender patch of skin
Symptoms: Pain, and discomfort. Sometimes may be itchy.

Question 20

Treatment of a blister

Answer 20

Management requires rest, when the symptoms may disappear. The fluid may be surgically released if it causes discomfort, and a donut pad applied. If a blister is torn open, cleaning with a liquid antiseptic and the application of ‘second skin’ dressing will aid the healing process.

Question 21

What are the characteristics of phase 1 of the inflammatory response.

Answer 21

Inflammatory stage which lasts 1-4 days:

• pain, redness, swelling
• Loss of function and mobility
• damage to cells and surrounding tissue
• increased blood flow to area
• formation of many blood vessels –> promotes healing

Question 22

What is the inflammatory response?

Answer 22

When soft tissue is injured, it becomes inflamed but responds by activating a self-healing process. This is referred to as the inflammatory response; the time frame will vary depending on the severity of the damage.

Question 23

What are the characteristics of phase two of the inflammatory stage?

Answer 23

The repair and regenerative stage; lasts 3 days-6 weeks:

• elimination of debris
• formation of new fibres
• production of scar tissue

Question 24

What are the characteristics of phase three of the inflammatory response

Answer 24

The remodelling stage: 6 weeks-many months

• increased production of scar tissue
• Replacement tissue that needs to strengthen and develop in the direction that the force is applied.
• Right amount of exercise needs to be done - too little allows large quantities of scar tissue to form which lacks strength and flexibility whereas excessive exercise too early causes further damage.

Question 25

What is the management procedure of soft tissue injuries?

Answer 25

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