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SPORT INJURIES

The term sports injury, in the broadest sense, refers to the kinds of injuries that most commonly occur during sports or exercise. Some sports injuries result from accidents, others are due to poor training practices, improper equipment, lack of conditioning, or insufficient warm-up and stretching.

Although any part of your body can be injured during sports or exercise, the term is usually reserved for injuries that involve the musculoskeletal system, which includes the muscles, bones, and associated tissues like cartilage.

A strain is an injury which occurs to a muscle in which the muscle fibers tear as a result of overstretching. Strains are also colloquially known as pulled muscles. The equivalent injury to a ligament is a sprain. Typical symptoms of a strain include localized pain, stiffness, swelling, inflammation, and bruising around the strained muscle.

Strains can happen to anyone and are certainly not restricted to athletes; nevertheless, people who are involved in sports are more at risk of developing a strain.

A sprain is an injury which occurs to ligaments caused by a sudden overstretching. The ligament is usually only stretched, but sometimes it can be snapped, slightly torn, or ruptured, all of which are more serious and require longer to heal.

Sprains are graded in three degrees. Although some signs and symptoms can be used to assess the severity of a sprain, the most definitive method is with the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). A first degree sprain has only minor tearing of the ligament whereas a third degree sprain is characterized by complete rupture.

The typical signs and symptoms associated with a sprain are the cardinal signs of inflammation: localized pain, swelling, and loss of function.

Although any joint can experience a sprain, some of the more common include the ankle, knee, and fingers. Perhaps one of the more spoken about sprains is that to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament of the knee. This is a disabling sprain common to athletes, especially basketball, soccer, and judo players.

Sprains can best be prevented by proper use of safety equipment (wrist, ankle guards), warm-ups and cool-downs (including stretching), being aware of your surroundings and maintaining strength and flexibility.

Achilles tendon injuries refer to a stretch, tear, or irritation to the tendon connecting the calf muscle to the back of the heel. The most common cause of Achilles tendon tears is a problem called tendinitis, a degenerative condition caused by aging or overuse. When a tendon is weakened, trauma can cause it to rupture.

A bone fracture is a medical condition in which a bone becomes cracked, splintered, or bisected as a result of physical trauma. In orthopaedic medicine, fractures are classified as closed or open (compound) and simple or multi-fragmentary (formerly comminuted).

Closed fractures are those in which the skin is intact, while open (compound) fractures involve wounds that communicate with the fracture and may expose bone to contamination. Open injuries carry an elevated risk of infection. They require antibiotics treatment and usually urgent surgical treatment. This involves removal of all dirt, contamination, and dead tissue.