Common Sports Injuries

Sprain

An injury known as a sprain occurs when a ligament, the band of connective tissues that connects the ends of two bones, is stretched or torn. Trauma, such as a fall or blow to the body, which causes a joint to move out of place and, in the worst-case scenario, ruptures the supporting ligaments, is the cause of sprains. From a first-degree sprain (a minimally strained ligament) to a third-degree sprain (a full tear), sprains can occur. Ankles, knees, and wrists are the body parts most prone to sprains. Variable levels of soreness or discomfort, bruising, inflammation, and swelling, as well as the inability to move a limb or joint, as well as joint looseness, laxity, or instability, are indications of a sprain.

Causes

Many things can cause a sprain. Falling, twisting, or getting hit can force a joint out of its normal position. This can cause ligaments around the joint to stretch or tear. Sprains can occur if people:

• Fall and land on an arm.
• Fall on the side of their foot.
• Twist a knee.

Signs and Symptoms of Sprains

The usual signs and symptoms of a sprain are:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Not being able to move or use the joint.
• Sometimes people feel a pop or tear when the injury happens. A sprain can be mild, moderate, or severe.

Strain

A muscle or tendon strain is a twist, pull, or tear of the cord of tissue linking the muscle to the bone. Overstretching or overcontracting causes acute, noncontact damage. Pain, muscle spasms, and a decrease in strength are all signs of strain. Although it can be challenging to distinguish between mild and moderate strains, severe strains that are left untreated can result in damage and function loss.

Causes

• Twisting or tugging on a muscle or tendon might result in a strain. Strains can occur quickly or take days or weeks to form. An abrupt (acute) strain is brought on by:
• A recent injury
• Lifting heavy objects the wrong way
• Overstressing the muscles.

Where Do Strains Usually Occur?

The back and the hamstring muscle in the back of the leg are two typical places for a strain. People are at risk for back or leg strains in sports like football, hockey, boxing, and wrestling. Sports players frequently use their hands and arms. Tennis, rowing, gymnastics, and golf are a few examples. These sports can sometimes cause hand or arm strain for the participants. Playing sports might also result in elbow sprains.

Signs and Symptoms of Strains

• Pain
• Muscle spasms
• Muscle weakness
• Swelling
• Cramping
• Trouble moving the muscle.
• If a muscle or tendon is torn completely, it is often very painful and hard to move.

How are Sprains and Strains Treated?

Treatments for sprains and strains are the same. To reduce swelling and pain in the first day or two, follow these steps:

• R = Rest the injured area. If the ankle or knee hurts, the doctor might tell you to use crutches or a cane.
• I = Put ice on the injury for 20 minutes at a time. The doctor might say to do these 4 to 8 times a day.
• C = Compress (squeeze) the injury using special bandages, casts, boots, or splints. Your doctor will tell you which one is best for you and how tight it should be.
• E = Put the injured ankle, knee, elbow, or wrist up on a pillow to elevate the injured area.
• The doctor may recommend taking medicines, such as aspirin or ibuprofen.
• After treating pain and swelling, doctors usually say to exercise the injured area. This helps to prevent stiffness and increase strength. Some people need physical therapy. You may need to exercise the injured area or go to physical therapy for several weeks. Your doctor or physical therapist will tell you when you can start to do normal activities, including sports. If you begin too soon, you can injure the area again.
• It is important to see a doctor if you have a painful sprain or strain. This helps you get the right treatment.

Prevention of sprains and strain

• To help prevent sprains and strains, you can:
• Avoid exercising or playing sports when tired or in pain.
• Eat a well-balanced diet to keep muscles strong.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Try to avoid falling (for example, put sand or salt on icy spots on your front steps or sidewalks).
• Wear shoes that fit well.
• Get new shoes if the heel wears down on one side.
• Exercise every day.
• Be in proper physical condition to play a sport.
• Warm up and stretch before playing a sport.
• Wear protective equipment when playing.
• Run on flat surfaces.

Contusion

A direct collision causes a muscle to sustain a contusion. A contusion to the quadriceps muscle is the most frequent type.
Simply put, bruises occur when tiny blood vessels beneath the skin burst or break, most frequently as a result of a bump or fall. The black-and-blue colour that we are all so accustomed to seeing, even as children, is caused by blood that then leaks into the tissues beneath the skin. These bruises, or contusions, might take up to a few weeks to gradually disappear. They frequently take on colours, such as purplish black, reddish blue, or yellowish green.

Symptoms

• A sudden impact to a muscle.
• Pain in the area.
• Bruising and swelling are common.
• There may be a decrease in motion.
• Contracting the muscle will be painful.

How Should a Contusion be Treated?

• Treatment of a contusion should be quite cautious. Continuing to play after injury, over aggressive treatment, or applying heat or massage too soon to the injury can result in the development of myositis ossificans. This is where the hematoma (bleed) calcifies, and a bony growth develops within the muscle. This can affect the muscles function on a long-term basis.
• Immediate treatment of a contusion should involve rest and cold therapy. The injury should also be elevated and a compression bandage or support applied to help minimize bleeding and swelling. This protocol should be continued until all bleeding has stopped. Only when this is certain, should other treatments, which may put heat into the muscle, be applied.
• Treatment can then be progressed cautiously, using electrotherapy such as ultrasound and soft tissue therapy, e.g., sports massage. Stretching exercises should also be used if a decrease in motion is noted.
• Those involved in sports where the risk of contusion is high (such as Rugby and American football) should consider the use of protective equipment such as padded shorts and shirts.

Dislocation

Dislocations are joint injuries that jar your bones’ ends out of place. The cause is frequently a fall or blow, occasionally while participating in a contact sport. Your elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, and knees can all become dislocated. Your finger and toe joints might potentially become dislocated. Swollen, excruciatingly painful, and obviously out of position, dislocated joints are common. It might be too heavy for you to move. Your blood vessels, nerves, or ligaments could get damaged if a dislocation is left untreated. Joint dislocation is a serious emergency. You should get medical help if you have one. The type of joint you dislocate and the severity of the damage determine the course of treatment. A splint or sling, medication, manipulations to realign your bones, and therapy may all be involved.

A joint that has been correctly realigned will typically function and move normally again in a few weeks. You are more likely to dislocate a shoulder or kneecap again after the first time. Dislocations during sports may be avoided by using protective equipment.

How is a Dislocation Treated?

Your doctor’s choice of treatment will depend on which joint you dislocated. It may also depend on the severity of your dislocation. Initial treatment for any dislocation involves RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and elevation). In some cases, the dislocated joint might go back into place naturally after this treatment.

If the joint doesn’t return to normal naturally, your doctor may use one of the following treatments:

• Manipulation or Repositioning
• Immobilization
• Medication
• Rehabilitation

Manipulation

In this method, your doctor will manipulate or reposition the joint back into place. You’ll be given a sedative or anesthetic to remain comfortable and also to allow the muscles near your joint to relax, which eases the procedure.

Immobilization

After your joint returns to its proper place, your doctor may ask you to wear a sling, splint, or cast for several weeks. This will prevent the joint from moving and allow the area to fully heal. The length of time your joint needs to be immobile will vary, depending on the joint and severity of the injury.

Medication

Most of your pain should go away after the joint returns to its proper place. However, your doctor may prescribe a pain reliever or a muscle relaxant if you’re still feeling pain.

Surgery

You will need surgery only if the dislocation damages your nerves or blood vessels, or if your doctor is unable to return your bones to their normal position. Surgery may also be necessary for those who often dislocate the same joints, such as their shoulders. To prevent re-dislocation, it may be necessary to reconstruct the joint and repair any damaged structures. On occasion, a joint has to be replaced, such as a hip replacement.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation begins after your doctor properly repositions or manipulates the joint into the correct position and removes the sling or splint (if you needed one). You and your doctor will devise a rehabilitation plan that works for you. The goal of rehabilitation is to gradually increase the joint’s strength and restore its range of motion. Remember, it’s important to go slowly so you don’t reinjure yourself before the recovery is complete.

Fracture

Any bone in the body can sustain a fracture when it becomes cracked or shattered.
A bone fracture is a medical ailment when the bone’s continuity has been damaged. A pathologic fracture is one that results from a medical condition that weakens the bones, such as osteoporosis, bone cancer, or osteogenesis imperfecta. Pathologic fractures can arise from high force impacts, stress, or minor trauma injuries.

Types of fracture

Displaced Fracture

Bone breaks into two or more pieces and moves out of alignment.

Non-Displaced Fracture

The Bone breaks but does not move out of alignment.

Closed Fracture

The skin is not broken.

Open Fracture

The bone has broken through the skin; this is a medical emergency, and you should be seen in the emergency or urgent care department immediately.

In addition to whether the bone is displaced or non-displaced, it will be given a fracture pattern name. Here are several types of fracture patterns:

Avulsion Fracture

When a fragment of bone is separated from the main mass.

Buckled Fracture Or impacted fracture.

Ends are driven into each other; this is commonly seen in arm fractures in children.

Comminuted Fracture

The bone breaks into several pieces.

Compression or Wedge Fracture

Usually involves the bones in the back (vertebrae).

Greenstick Fracture

An incomplete fracture in which the bone is bent; occurs most often in children.

Linear Fracture

The break is parallel to the bone’s long axis.

Oblique Fracture

The break has a curved or sloped pattern.

Pathologic Fracture

Caused by a disease that weakens the bones.

Spiral Fracture

One part of the bone has been twisted at the break point.

Stress Fracture

A hairline crack.

Transverse Fractur

The broken piece of bone is at a right angle to the bone’s axis.

Avulsion fracture

An avulsion fracture is an injury to the bone in a location where a tendon or ligament attaches to the bone. When an avulsion fracture occurs, the tendon or ligament pulls off a piece of the bone. Avulsion fractures can occur anywhere in the body, but they are more common in a few specific locations.

Buckled fracture

A buckle fracture, also called a torus fracture, is an extremely common injury seen in children. Because children have softer, more flexible bones, one side of the bone may buckle upon itself without disrupting the other side of the bone—also known as an incomplete fracture.

Compression / wedge fracture

Compression fracture is the term used to describe the kind of spine fracture that is frequently brought on by osteoporosis.
Any vertebra in the spine can develop a compression fracture; however, they tend to happen more frequently in the upper back (thoracic spine), especially in the lower vertebrae in that region of the spine (such as T10, T11, and T12). Above the T7 level of the spine, they seldom happen. They also frequently happen in the upper lumbar segments, including L1.

Oblique fracture

An oblique fracture is a relatively common fracture in which the bone breaks diagonally. Oblique fractures can vary in severity, depending on what bone is affected and how large the break is. Oblique fractures tend to occur on longer bones like the femur or tibia.

Pathological fracture

A pathologic fracture is a bone fracture caused by disease that led to weakness of the bone structure. This process is most commonly due to osteoporosis but may also be due to other pathologies such as: cancer, infection (such as osteomyelitis), inherited bone disorders, or a bone cyst.

Spiral fracture

A spiral fracture (a.k.a. torsion fracture) is a bone fracture that occurs when torque (a rotating force) is applied along the axis of a bone. Spiral fractures often occur when the body is in motion while one extremity is planted.

Stress fracture/ hairline fracture, or fissure fracture

Stress fracture, also known as a hairline fracture, or fissure fracture, is a fatigue-induced fracture of the bone caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated trauma from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or jumping.

Common fractures in sport

Fractures are common in sports, particularly in contact sports such as football and rugby. The most common injuries include fractured wrists, hands, collarbones, and bones in the ankle and feet. Stress fractures are very common in sports that involve repetitive movements; long distance runners often suffer from stress fractures in the foot, for example.