Name: _____________________________________

Classifying Sports Injuries Resource

Booklet
HSC PDHPE

Option 3: Sports Medicine

Where am I? Past HSC Questions

(2018)
a) An athlete running a 400m race experiences a
hamstring strain in the sprint towards the finish
line. Explain the classification and management
of the athlete’s injury (8 marks)

(2011)
a) i) Outline types of soft tissue injuries
(3 marks)
ii) Describe the assessment
procedure used to determine the
nature and extent of a sports injury
(5 marks)

Activity:
1. Highlight the key verbs from the past HSC questions in yellow.
2. Select a different colour and highlight the links between each question and the syllabus points.

Note: This activity should help you understand the type of structure and response the markers are looking
for and how the content we will learn in this unit will structure your response.
 Metal language List
As we progress through the unit keep coming back to this space to fill in the correct definitions of each of the
key terms. This will help you consolidate your knowledge and allow you to showcase a deep level of
knowledge and understanding in your HSC response.

TOPTAPS
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Haematoma
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RICER
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Contusion
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Indirect Injury
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Overuse Injury
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Inflammatory
Response _______________________________________________________________________
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Soft Tissue Injury

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Sprain
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Strain
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Vasodilation
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Direct injury
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Classifying Sports Injuries

Activity 1: Become the Expert

Using the information found under the ‘classifying sports injuries tab’ on your class website, work in groups of
5 to become the ‘expert’ in a specific injury classification.

You will have 15 minutes to read, collate and understand the information on your designated injury
classification and prepare a 2-minute informal presentation to share your information with your group
members.

Remember! This activity requires entire group collaboration. Your team members are relying on you to share
your deep knowledge and understanding on your classification. You are the expert in the field!

Top HSC marks use examples to support their statement as a way of

providing evidence.
HOT
Research a sports injury which could be classified within your injury
TIP! classification. Be prepared to share this with your group members

Injury Classification Description Sports Specific Example

Direct

Indirect

Soft Tissue

Hard Tissue

Overuse
STOP!
Check your understanding
1. Explain how sports injuries are classified. Use examples to support your answer.
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2. Compare and contrast soft, hard and overuse injuries.
Soft Tissue Hard Tissue Overuse

3. Using a specific athlete as a case study, explain how an overuse injury may have or has occurred. I.e.
you may use an existing athlete who has had an over use injury in the past or you may select a specific
athlete and explain the over use injury they could obtain.

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4. Classify the images below with their correct injury classification. (You may write your response next
to each image).
Soft and Hard Tissue Injuries

Activity 2: Personal Research Project

Using the information found under the ‘soft tissue’ and ‘hard tissue’ tab on your class website AND using the
Sports Medicine Australia link below, you are to select one soft tissue injury and prepare a 3-minute poster
presentation on your selected soft tissue injury to present to the class.

On your poster to are to:

- Identify the TYPE of injury e.g. tear, sprain, contusion, fracture, break etc
- Classify your injury e.g. indirect, direct, hard and soft and Outline how it may occur e.g. poor and
inadequate warm up, over use, collision in a rugby tackle.
- Explain the SIGNS and SYMPTOMS of your selected injury (assessment)
- Outline the PREVENTION STRATEGIES (link these to the injury classification)
- Explain IMMEDIATE TREATMENT OPTIONS e.g. RICER, immobilisation

Sports Medicine Australia (Injury Fact Sheets)

https://sma.org.au/resources-advice/injury-fact-sheets/
Use the table below to help plan your poster presentation

Selected Injury: ___________________________________________________________________

Injury Type

Injury Classification

How my injury may

occur

Signs and Symptoms

Prevention Strategies

Immediate
Treatment Options
STOP!
Check your understanding
True or False?

1. A soft tissue injury occurs to bones and teeth. TRUE FALSE

2. A sprain occurs when a muscle or tendon is stretched and torn. TRUE FALSE
3. A dislocation is a hard tissue injury. TRUE FALSE
4. RICER is an immediate treatment option for Hard Tissue Injuries TRUE FALSE
5. The Inflammatory Response has 2 phases TRUE FALSE

1. Compare and Contrast the different types of fractures

Simple Compound Complex

2. Explain the assessment and immediate management strategies for a hard tissue injury (use an
example to support your response)

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Top HSC marks will be methodical and organised in their planning of their
response. They will use KEY WORDS from the question and the SYLLABUS to
HOT construct their answers.

TIP! Use the table on the next page to plan your response, identifying ALL crucial
information for answering the question BEFORE writing your response.
Use this table below to help plan your answer

How are hard tissue injuries

assessed?

What is TOTAPS?

Identify a sports specific hard

tissue injury

What are the management

strategies for your selected
hard tissue injury?

3. Outline the phases of the Inflammatory Response and explain why RICER is a crucial immediate
treatment response for a soft tissue injury.

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Use the table below to help prepare your answer:

What is the
Inflammatory Response?

The stages of the

Inflammatory Response
are:

Outline:
- Phase 1

- Phase 2

- Phase 3

What is the main aim of

RICER?

How does RICER impact

on recovery and the
stages of the
Inflammatory Response?

What is a sports injury

where the Inflammatory
Response may occur and
RICER is crucial?
Assessment of Injuries

Activity 3: Scenarios and Injury Assessment

Scenario 1: Soccer Game

You are playing in a soccer game when a team mate’s tackle goes wrong. Suddenly your team mate
is clutching at their ankle. They have a sharp shooting pain and say that they heard a cracking sound.
They say that the pain is coming from the side of their ankle. Observing the area, you cannot see if
there is swelling or any normal abnormalities. What strategies should you employ from TOTAPS to
assess the injury. Should you remove the boot of your team mate to compare their ankles to observe
for swelling?

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Scenario 2: Exercising at the gym
You are running on the treadmill and all of a sudden feel a sharp pain through the back of your leg.
You turn off the treadmill and sit to the side. You didn’t hear anything crack or snap and cannot see
any initial signs of swelling or inflammation. Feeling along the back of your leg you do not have any
serious pain. Asking for help you try to get up however you cannot bear all of your weight onto your
leg. What type of injury may have occurred? What part of the leg might be injured? What action
should you take to treat the injury correctly?

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Scenario 3: Surfing
Spending the day at the beach with your friends. Whilst out swimming you are watching a couple of
the surfers out in the breaking waves. One surfer calls out for help on his way in. Shouting with pain,
he says that he has hurt his shoulder. Upon first glance you notice that there is a bulge at the front
of his shoulder through his wetsuit. Asking what happened he said that he fell off a wave and back
onto his board awkwardly. What injury do you believe might have occurred? What steps of TOTAPS
would you conduct?

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Option: Work in a group of 3-4 to re-enact each scenario. Use First Aid Bandages to treat each injury.

Remember to CAM each injury accordingly, dependent on the type of injury (soft, hard, overuse).

C lassify

A ssess

M anage