Care, Prevention and Rehabilitation of Sports

InjuriesCommon Athletic Injuries

MEN WOMENInjury Site (%) Injury Site (%)Knee 27 Knee 29Ankle 10 Ankle 10Lower back 9 Lower back 9Lower Leg 7 Lower Leg 6Metatarsal region 7 Metatarsal region 3Toes 4 Toes 3Calf 3 Calf 3Achilles Tendon 3 Achilles Tendon 3Sole 3 Sole 2Hip 3 Hip 2

Athletic injuries in Adults(British Journal of Sports Medicine)1997

Common Athletic Injuries –1995 – High School Basketball Injury Research Results – Where do high school basketball injuries occur?

Injury Site Boys (%) Girls (%)Ankle/foot 38.3 36.0Hip/thigh/leg 14.7 16.6Face/scalp 12.2 8.8Forearm/wrist/hand

11.5 11.2

Knee 10.3 13.0

Common Athletic InjuriesWhat are the most common injuries in high school Basketball?

Injury Site Boys (%) Girls (%)

Sprains 44.6 44.2

General trauma

26.5 19.6

Strains 13.3 16.2

Data from NATA (USA), 1998

Common Athletic InjuriesWhat basketball activities lead to injury more frequently?

Injury Site Boys (%) Girls (%)

Scrambling for loose balls

34.4 36.3

Controlled pattern activity

27.8 32.6

Rebounding 26.0 30.8

Common Athletic InjuriesWhat are the percentages of major, moderate and minor injuries?

Injury Site Boys (%) Girls (%)

Minor 79.4 76.0

Moderate 12.4 15.1

Major 8.2 9.0

Common Athletic InjuriesFractures

Breaking of bone We will look at

two types of fractures, open and closed

Open = skin being broken

Closed = skin not broken

Common Athletic Injuries Open fractures Worse than closed

fractures. Why? Risk of infection Cover wound Before splinting

Common Athletic Injuries

Common Athletic InjuriesClosed Fractures

Skin not broken Treated by

splinting and sending off to doctor

Always check distal pulse and capillary refill

Immobilize

Common Athletic InjuriesCapillary Refill

This is used for testing blood flow in the distal extremities

Pinch the finger/toe nail bed…turns white, then release, compare to unaffected side of the body

Common Athletic InjuriesFracture tests

There are three fracture tests that we will look at

1. Visual deformity – this is pretty straight forward

2. Compression – push bones together, feel for crepititis and pain

3. Tap/Vibration test – use fingers, or tuning fork to test for fracture. If there is a fracture, vibrations will feel different.

Common Athletic InjuriesPurpose of immobilization

Decrease pain Prevent further

damage to underlying tissues

Reduce risk of bleeding/loss of circulation

Prevent closed fracture from becoming open.

The ground can temp. immobilize an injury

Common Athletic InjuriesSplints

A splint is a device that holds an injury in place

Follow these principles: splint must immobilize above and below injury site; do not splint if it will cause too much pain discomfort; check circulation before and after splinting

Common Athletic InjuriesThere are 4 types of splints

1. Soft – triangular bandages, towels etc.

2. Rigid – Boards, metal, cardboard etc..

3. Anatomical – use of body to immobilize

4. Traction – do not unless trained, or can hold traction until EMS arrives

Common Athletic Injuries

L-R: rigid, soft, anatomical and traction

Common Athletic InjuriesHow to splint

Support body part Cover open wounds Check circulation Pad splint so its

shaped to injury Secure splint with

triangular bandages Recheck circulation Elevate if possible

Common Athletic InjuriesSlings

1. Cervical arm sling: Supports forearm,

wrist, and hand. A triangular bandage is placed around the neck and under the bent arm that is to be supported.

2. Sling and swath: Stabilize arm

securely in case of shoulder dislocation or fracture.

Common Athletic InjuriesSprained Ankle

Very common on lateral side of the foot (inversion sprain)

Tight heel end contributes to this injury

One or two ligaments tend to be involved

Balance and proproception may be worse in persons who have a history of ankle sprains – both factors are used in rehabilitation programs

Top 5 Gruesome Sports Injuries

Not too nice this one, a footballer with his knee completely twisted around. Ouch!

Top 5 Gruesome Injuries When you think

you’ve had a bad soccer game, remember this guy!

Top 5 Gruesome injuries Rugby: a

gentlemen’s game.

Top 5 Gruesome injuries In most sports

keeping your eye on the opposition is imperative!

Top 5 Gruesome injuries Maybe he should

go for a little lighter weight next time!