Sports Injuries

Acute v Chronic Injuries

Acute injuries
Injuries that occur quickly and for which pain
and loss of function is immediate

Chronic injuries
Injuries that linger and affect performance over
the longer term
Acute Examples
Sprain
Muscle strain
Concussion
Fracture
Corky
Dislocation
Chronic Examples
Shin splints
Osteitis pubis
Tennis elbow
Patellar tendonitis
Stress fractures
Achilles tendonitis
Hypothermia
Core body temperature < 35 celsius
Causes
prolonged exposure to cold, wet
Symptoms
shivering, coordination loss, vagueness, irritability,
slow pulse, shallow breathing, unconsciousness,
possible death
Treatment
warm drinks, remove wet clothing, keep awake,
exchange body heat

Hyperthermia
(heat exhaustion)
Causes
exposure to hot, humid conditions especially whilst
exercising and not drinking enough fluids (dehydration)
Prevention
not exercising in hot/humid conditions
If must exercise
rest in shade often, ice vests, increase hydration, light &
loose clothing, acclimatise

Asthma
Narrowing of airways (bronchioles)
restricts O2 uptake
Causes
pollution, exercise, smoke, colds, dust
Regular exercise can
reduce incidence and severity of attacks
Asthmatics should
warm up, cool down, take medication before/during to
prevent

DOMS
(delayed onset muscle soreness)
Usually 24-48 hours post unaccustomed exercise
especially eccentric exercises (running downhill,
plyometrics, lowering weights
small micro-tears in muscle fibre
Reducing effects
effective warm up, active cool down, stretching over
24-48 hours
Treatment
RICERS, anti inflammatory drugs, ultrasound, gentle
eccentric exercise

Overtraining
Physiological symptoms
Symptoms that result from body stressors

Psychological symptoms
Symptoms that result from mind stressors

Overtraining Causes
Amount and recovery time is insufficient to
fully recover from stresses of training
Excessive training volume
Too much training overload
Working too hard too soon after injury
Excessive competition scheduling
Poor nutritional state
External stressors such as work, study, family,
relationships


Physiological Symptoms
Persistent fatigue
Chronic muscle soreness
Increased or decreased morning heart rate
Increased heart rate during sub maximal
exercise
Decreased performance of strength, power
and co ordination
Psychological Symptoms
Decreased concentration
Decreased motivation
Depression
Increased irritability, anger, anxiety, fear of
competition, sensitivity to emotional stress


Miscellaneous Symptoms
Frequent illness
Loss of appetite
Increase in overuse injuries
Insomnia
Lack of enjoyment of training and
competition