Sport Injuries - Term Paper Example

Sport Injuries Introduction Sporting is one of the current economic contributor in the world. Many people especially the youths are actively involved in sports. Some of the youths do sporting for passion while others do it as a career for living. The diversity of career choices makes it possible for people with different sporting interests to participate according to ones desires. These sporting activities include basketball, baseball, football, cricket, swimming, running, volleyball, and others. Sports competition yields fame and recognition to both the participating individuals and their countries. Champions have been winning awards worth billions of money as well as international recognition. On the other hand, players and athletes get various types of injuries while playing, swimming, or running (Boden, et al, 2012). These injuries range from soft tissue to hard tissue, acute to chronic injuries, and from direct to indirect injuries. This paper will seek to explain different kinds of sports injuries, people vulnerable to each type of injury, treatment of injuries, and possible new ways of treatment. Sporting injuries Sporting injuries refers to injuries that occur during sporting activities. In most cases, these injuries are because of acute trauma exposed on one body part during the sports participation, or over use of a certain body part. For example, runners’ knee can be in a painful condition due to frequent running while a tennis player can experience hard elbow due to repetitive stress on the elbow. Contact with hard substances is another cause of sports injuries because it can cause torn ligament, broken bone, or torn tendon. Injuries are often occurrence among professional players, and the majority of teams have doctors and medical staff ready to offer first aid and medication whenever there is an injury. There are different kinds of sports injuries. Whether a sport injury is chronic or acute, it is classified as either hard tissue or soft tissue injury. Soft tissue injuries are likely to be on the skin, joints, tendons, muscles, and ligaments (Hercy & Cecilia, 2012). Hard tissue injuries refer to bone fractures. The most common injuries among players are soft tissues ones, but at times, one suffers both soft and hard tissue injuries. Classifying of sport injuries assists in establishing n the best way to manage immediate injury and plan for nurturing the injured person. Good care and treatment for each kind of injury enhances players and athletes recovery and progression back to sports. Some sports injuries result from collisions, awkward movements, and falls. These are examples of acute injuries and may include cuts sustained while competing in a martial art or while boxing, player being hit by a baseball, twisting an ankle when running, and falling while skating. People also suffer from muscle pulls, strains, broken bones, and bruises while sporting. Chronic injuries result from repetitive movement of joints and muscles over a long period. These kinds of injuries may occur due to use of improper performing techniques exposing the involved body part to much stress (Boden, et al, 2012). It may also occur if an athlete reinjures a previously injured body tissue and finally, the presence of an anatomical deformity that makes the athlete or player susceptible to injury. These three factors may largely contribute to long-term or reoccurrence of injuries making it a chronic one. Direct sport injuries are rare but more serious and tragic. Direct injuries are also referred as catastrophic injuries, and they result from external force being subjected on to the body. Such force may include collision during a football match or a hockey stick during a match. In America, football is the sport with many collisions followed by pole vaulting, ice hockey, gymnastics, and rugby. On the other hand, indirect also known as no traumatic injury results from systematic failure while participating in a sport. The causes of indirect injuries are; heat illness, cardiovascular conditions, dehydration, and exertion hyponatremia. Indirect injuries may also include athletes damaging body tissues such as tendons, muscles, and ligaments through external or internal force (Hercy & Cecilia, 2012). For example, a handball player overstretching to reach a ball may strain a hand joint. A good understanding of the common mechanisms of sports injuries and prevention measures for both direct and indirect injuries is crucial for athletes. Athletes and other sports participants suffer from either soft tissue injuries or hard tissue injuries and at times both. A hard tissue injury refers to fracture and it is a loss of continuity in the element of s bone. Hard tissue injuries are also known as broken bones or cracked bones if it is a hairline fracture. Broken bones may mean completely separated bones or a simple damage on the bone tissue that is less dangerous than a broken bone. On the other hand, soft tissue injuries refer damages to other body tissues like tendons, muscles, and ligaments. Soft tissue injuries are the most common in sporting rather than hard tissue injuries (Boden, et al, 201). However, some sport activities like downhill skiing and motor sports have many hard tissue injuries than any other kind of sports. Hard tissue injuries may be caused by; contact with hard surface, contact with hard playing item, such as cricket ball, or collision with another player. Fractures may occur in different forms. For example, a closed fracture refers to broken bone, but still within the skin. This is a simple fracture because the skin is still intact. Open fractures refers to broken bones that have also damaged the skin and protruded outside. The bones may be visible outside the skin; this form of fracture is also referred as compound fracture (Opar, Williams, and Shield, 2012). The next form of fracture is complicated fracture whereby the broken bone also damages the surrounding organs. For example, a broken rib may pierce lungs. The other form of hard tissue fracture is a stress fracture whereby the bone is not fully broken, but has many cracks along its length. The fractures often follow a repeated stress along the bone that has been subject over a long period. Overuse injuries result from repetitive actions that damage ligaments, tendons, soft tissues, and muscles over a period. Professional players and athletes spend much time in practice and exercise certain actions and movements; this results to overuse injuries. Most common overuse injuries are; tennis elbow whereby tendons on the outer are strained and become painful (Ristolainen et al, 201). This is common in racquet sports. Other overuse injuries include; golfers elbow, iliotibial band syndrome, stress fractures, and shin splits. Various situations result to sports related injuries. Body exercise in a proper pace and posture is a necessity for a healthy body and life. However, if these exercises are done properly, one is likely to suffer from injuries. Some of the common causes of injuries are as discussed below. Repetitive or overuse of body muscles may cause injuries to swimmers, runners, and tennis players. They are likely to suffer from tennis elbow, shin splints, tendinitis, and shoulder impingements. Sports that require quick stopping and twisting result to a high number of ankle and knee injuries (Dallinga, Benjaminse, and Leinmink, 2012). Such sports include soccer, basketball, and gymnastics. Ankle sprains are likely to occur when an athlete rolls and stretches leg and surrounding ligaments. Shoulders and knee cartilages are likely to tear due to uncontrolled twist and sudden stop. Athlete and other sport participants can fall in the midst of a sport causing breakages and tissue damage, as well as wrist and sprain damages. Use of improper sporting equipment is another major cause of sporting injuries. If a participant uses a racquet or weight, that is too heavy, arm or lower back pain may follow (Boden, et al, 2012). Ill-fitting shoes and helmets may also cause injuries to player. For example, an athlete may suffer from injuries by wearing unfitting and unsporting shoes. Increasing the level of activity or starting a new one too quickly can result to lower a back pain, as well as a stressed hand or leg. When one begins a sporting exercise, previously unused muscles may be involved, or one may increase the work of other muscles. Mostly, these actions result to cramps and muscle pulls. Poor warm-up is another major cause of sport injuries. It is wise and important to stretch before any sport activity to avoid cramps and muscle pulls that result from rushing into a sorting activity without slow introduction of the muscles into it. Warming up releases oxygen and blood to various body muscles; enabling them to work efficiently and effectively. Hard impacts also cause injuries such as plantar fasciitis and shin splints. Hard surfaces cause breakages of bones on sport participants and athletes. They also cause jarring impact on athlete legs, hips, feet, and back. Unilateral movements cause lower pain among golfers and tennis players. Because these sport activities require specific body movements in only one aide of the body, only muscles of one side are working leaving the rest out of the exercise (Verhagen, van., and van 2010). Sometimes, this results to weaker and less active muscles on the less active side while the most active side may cause lower back pain. Poor posture and techniques may cause injuries during sporting. Spasms, pulls, and neck pains may often result from moving ones head awkwardly to locate a ball or an opponent. Professional cyclists often suffer from neck pain after riding with racing handlebars. The posture a cyclist must take to make proper use of handlebars and still be able to see the focused direction tightens both the neck and back muscles causing spasms (Boden, et al, 2012). Generally, there are sports injuries that are more common than other sports due to nature of the sport, the age of participants, and the equipments used. Head injuries are common among soccer players because they frequently use their heads to hit the ball. Sometimes, they miss the ball or even hit it with the wrong-targeted head part. In addition, players may hit each other instead of heating the ball causing head injuries. These head injuries may involve the brain if severe and symptoms include vision disturbance, disorientation, amnesia, headache, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and loss of balance. In addition to football, they also occur in sports such as hockey, boxing, and soccer (Dallinga, Benjaminse, and Leinmink, 2012). Although concussions heal within a short time, reoccurrence may result to long-term damage. Strains, sprains, and blisters commonly affect athletes because their sports involve rapid shifts in direction or running. Achilles tendinitis involves inflation and pain on the back of an ankle. If this condition is not treated with immediate effect, it can become chronic and even make it impossible for athletes to run. This condition is very common among athletes and other participants involved in sports with running requirement. Groin strain commonly happens when players suddenly change or shift direction while running especially when chasing a ball. This injury is mostly experienced in soccer, basketball, hockey, volleyball, racket sports, and football. Symptoms of a groin strain include swelling, sharp pain, and bruising of thighs. Lower back pain is more common among overweight and sedentary people than in athletes. It affects cyclists, runners, golfers, baseball, and tennis players. The most reason for back pain among players and athletes is improper stretching. Athletes frequently suffer from muscle pulls especially if they do not warm up properly, lack of flexibility, fatigue, and weakness. Hamstrings are common in jogging, soccer, and basketball (Opar, Williams, and Shield, 2012). Tennis and golf elbow injuries represent 7% of all sport injuries. Tennis elbow causes pain on the elbow while golf elbow affects the inside of the elbow. These conditions are because of frequent flexing of the muscle towards one direction. They are common in tennis players and golfers. Ankle sprains are other common sport injuries among hockey, basketball, soccer, and volleyball players. They are very common and inevitable in sports that involve running, jumping, and turning quickly. These fast movements may cause twisting of the ankle or tearing a ligament or tendon. Statistics show that about 20% of sport related injuries involve shoulder. Shoulder injury may be in the form of dislocation, strain, or sprain. Shoulder injuries often occur in swimming, tennis, baseball, weight lifting, and volleyball; generally any sporting activity involving overhead movement. A high percentage of 55% of all sport injuries involve runners’ knee. Orthopedic surgeons claim that a quarter of the problems they treat are runners’ knee. Runners’ knee affects both athletes and other sporting participants such as cyclists, footballers, swimmers, and volleyball players. In addition, people who participate in aerobics are also prone to runners’ knee. Different sport injuries are common in different age groups and gender. This is because people of different ages, as well as gender participate in different sporting activities. Preschool children are actively involved in swimming and gymnastics; therefore, they are likely to suffer from strains and sprains of soft tissue such as tendons and muscles. Children are vulnerable to fractures as well as soft tissue injuries because their bones and muscles are tender and still growing. Stress injuries or fractures resulting from overuse affects the bones, muscles, cartilages, and tendon of the legs and arms (Williams, et al, 2012). From studies, teenagers are more prone to concussions than any other age group because they are actively involved in contact games. Examples of such contact sports include football, hockey, and soccer (McDonnell, Hume, and Nolte, 2011). These games expose the player to high chances of hitting hard object or collision damaging the head. In addition, male players are more likely to suffer from concussions than female counterparts are because a larger number of players are male giving a chance of higher rate of injuries than female (Ristolainen et al, 201). More male than female suffer from acute injuries because they actively play soccer, running, and golf. Statistics show that male are usually dominating gender in sports and sporting activities. A higher number of female athletes suffer from acute injuries than that of male athletes. Women are more prone to shoulder injuries than men are. This is because men are stronger in their shoulders than women are. Because of weaker shoulders, women playing softball, swimming, or playing volleyball are at a risk of rotator cuff weakness, pain, and tightness. With the increased number of sporting activities, sports injuries are also increasing in number. Therefore, an exact diagnosis and understanding of the injury mechanism are vital for proper management, relief from pain, and restoration to normal functions (Dallinga, Benjaminse, and Leinmink, 2012). Establishing the etiological elements present in a specific injury is crucial for proper management and prevention of sport injuries. The initial inflammatory stage usually lasts for almost five days, and any kind of treatment offered is designed to attend to the cardinal indicators of the inflammation. These signs include swelling, pain, heat, redness, and a loss of function (Opar, Williams, and Shield, 2012). Both professional and athletes are increasingly using compression sportswear. These garments generally reduce the chances of muscle injury, as well as speeding up muscle healing process. Injured knees should be treated with anti-inflammatory medication for the first two days. On resuming to work, one should make sure that proper warm up is done to orient the injured knee to flexible movements (Verhagen, van., and van 2010). Ice application on the injured knee is necessary for about 20 minutes every day. Golfers and tennis players suffering from tennis elbow and golf elbow should seek help from physiotherapists and take a long break from sporting activities to recover. People with fractured bones should see surgeons as well as neurosurgeons if the backbone has been injured. X-rays and scans may be needed to establish the severity of the injury. Periodical medical examinations are also important to establish the health condition and recovery rate of a player or athlete (McDonnell, Hume, and Nolte, 2011). Constantly, for athletes with head injuries should see a doctor within the shortest time possible. With advancement in technologies, many hospitals are focusing on inventing new equipment to attend to injuries resulting from sporting activities. Many hospitals and laboratories are researching on bone binding substances that once applied on broken bone; it is able to heal faster than before. New imaging methods and technical advancements will generate better methods of diagnosing and treating injuries (Finch, Ullah, and Mcintosh, 2011). Medics will understand the importance of nutrition in inflammation and healing process easier. This kind of knowledge is likely to bring faster healing. Studies on musculoskeletal tissue engineering and tissue engineering will lead to faster and effective treatment than the present facilitations (Dallinga, Benjaminse, and Leinmink, 2012). Qatar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine is a major medical center for sports. It provides quality medical service and treatment to all athletes and players. It features excellent sports medicine, orthopedics, sports science, and rehabilitation. It was officially accredited as FIFA medical centre in 2008. Aspetar Hospital aims at setting new technologies including an environmental chamber. The rehabilitation and physiotherapy department works towards returning all patients to their normal lifestyle safely and quickly (King-Chung and Hagger, 2012). This hospital provides physiotherapy, evaluation of musculoskeletal problems, hydrotherapy, sport training, imbalance and flexibility correction, and other rehabilitation programs. To reduce chances of sport injuries, athletes and players should adopt and train using the righty equipment. This will reduce knee injuries as well as fallings. Wearing of the right protective sportswear can contribute majorly on prevention measures. One should only participate in sports when in good health conditions to avoid more muscle strains and fatigue (Finch, Ullah, and Mcintosh, 2011). Doing warm ups before and after vigorous activities will help a great deal. Cooling down after a running competition or vigorous sport is essential to make pulse rate go back to its normal condition gradually. Conclusion The numerous types of injuries discussed above are dominant in athletes’ and players’’ career life. In most cases, in every competition, there are several competitors or participants with either major or minor injury. If a minor injury is not treated and managed well, chances are high that a complication shall develop. Therefore, athletes, players, doctors, and parents have a duty to make sure that injuries are attended to well. Children should only participate in vigorous sporting activities with guidelines from parents or coaches (King-Chung and Hagger, 2012). If the right instructions and sportswear are used, chances of injuries are minimal. In addition, teams should have their first aid kits whenever practicing or competing. In case of injuries, athletes and other sporting participants should get attention from qualified medical practitioners within the shortest time possible (McDonnell, Hume, and Nolte, 2011). This helps to reduce the pain and treatment is received shortly before complications start. Use of advanced technology will enable doctors and other medical practitioners identify the nature damage on the tissues and extend to which the injury has occurred, therefore, providing the right treatment. References Boden, B. P., et al (2012). Catastrophic Injuries in Pole Vaulters: A Prospective 9-Year Follow-up Study. American Journal Of Sports Medicine, 40(7), pp.1488-1494. Dallinga, J. M., Benjaminse, A., & Leinmink, K. M. (2012). Which Screening Tools Can Predict Injury to the Lower Extremities in Team Sports?: A Systematic Review. Sports Medicine, 42(9), pp.791-815. Finch, C. F., Ullah, S., & Mcintosh, A. S. (2011). Combining Epidemiology and Biomechanics in Sports Injury Prevention Research: A New Approach for Selecting Suitable Controls. Sports Medicine, 41(1), pp.59-72. Hercy C.K., L., & Cecilia W.P., L. (n.d). Original Article: Sports Related Hand Injuries in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Journal Of Occupational Therapy, 2013-18. King-Chung Chan, D., & Hagger, M. S. (2012). Transcontextual Development of Motivation in Sport Injury Prevention Among Elite Athletes. Journal Of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 34(5), pp.661-682. McDonnell, L. K., Hume, P. A., & Nolte, V. (2011). Rib Stress Fractures Among Rowers Definition, Epidemiology, Mechanisms, Risk Factors and Effectiveness of Injury Prevention Strategies. Sports Medicine, 41(11), pp.883-901. Opar, D. A., Williams, M. D., & Shield, A. I. (2012). Hamstring Strain Injuries: Factors that Lead to Injury and Re-Injury. Sports Medicine, 42(3), pp. 209-226. Ristolainen, L., et al (2009). Gender differences in sport injury risk and types of injuries: a retrospective twelve-month study on cross-country skiers, swimmers, long-distance runners and soccer players. Journal Of Sports Science & Medicine, 8(3), pp.443-451. Verhagen, E. M., van Stralen, M. M., & van Mechelen, W. (2010). Behaviour, the Key Factor for Sports Injury Prevention. Sports Medicine, 40(11), pp.899-906. Williams, I., et al. (2012). Kinesio Taping in Treatment and Prevention of Sports Injuries. Sports Medicine, 42(2), pp.153-164. Read More