A-Level PE AQA Sports Injuries

Injuries that happen suddenly

An injury caused when the normal position of a joint is altered

Caused by a fall or a blow, from playing contact sport

. swollen
. very painful
. visibly out of place
. may not be able to move it

. Manipulating the bones to reposition it
. Medicine
. Splint/sling
. Rehabilitation
- depends which joint is dislocated

You are likely to dislocate it again

Wearing protective gear during sports

When one or more of the ligaments are stretched, twisted or torn

When too much force is being applied to a joint

When muscle fibres stretch or tear

When muscle is stretched beyond its limits or is forced to contract too quickly

RICE - REST, ICE, COMPRESSION, ELEVATION

Occur as a result of playing sport or exercising for a long time

. Pain when performing
. Dull ache at rest
. Swelling

By overuse of achilles tendon

Runners or older athletes

Causes tendon to rupture

. Lots of pain and swelling
. May look abnormal

. An overuse injury rather than a mechanical injury
. Muscles become stressed and transfers this stress to the bones causing a small crack
. Occurs when muscles become tired and the bones overload

The inflammation of the tendons of the elbow

Overuse of muscles of the forearm; sometimes caused by playing tennis or golf

. Tests or questions to identify any problems
. This can identify musculoskeletal injuries prior to performance
. An ECG (electrocardiogram) can assess and monitor the heart

. Professionals use this to prevent injury. Involves assessing muscle imbalances, core strength, range of movement, postural alignment and mobility
. Detected problems are then worked on by strength and conditioning coaches

. Screening can cause anxiety in performers or identify a problem that doesn’t exist (false positive) or miss a problem (miss negative)
. It isn’t 100% accurate

. Identify past or current injuries and prevent further injuries
. Identify imbalances, assess joint mobility, identify postural weaknesses
. Identify cardiac risks or other general risks

Creates a protective barrier between the performer and the object

1. Raises body's muscle temperature

2. Blood flow increases the amount of O2 and nutrients to the muscle

3. Increased elasticity of muscles

4. Joints and tendons prepare for strenuous activity

5. Heart rate increases

6. Respiratory rate increases

1. General pulse raiser

2. Stretching

3. Sports specific

. Ballistic
. Active
. Passive
. Static

Uses swinging and bouncing movements

When a stretched position is held by the contraction of an agonist muscle

Use of an external force to help the stretched position

When a muscle is held in a stationary position for more 10 seconds or more

. Weak joints can be supported and made more stable
. Stops further injury and allows rehabilitation to begin
. Kinesiology tape is used on muscles as it has less flexibility

. Bracing is more substantial and involves hinged supports
. Extra stability

Teaches your body to control the position of a deficient or an injured joint

. The unpredictable movements of the balance board re-educates your body quickly
. Teaches the body to control the position of joints subconsciously
. Involves hopping, jumping and balancing activities
. Easily accessible

. Free weights
. Machine weights
. Body weight
. Therabands

Free weights are dumb bells, kettle bells are controlled by the individual whilst lifting. The varying degrees of weight can be used to build up to full strength and can target specific injured muscle groups more easily

The machine has control, there are set movement patterns. They are useful for early stages of injury as they are controlled

These exercises put less stress on the body, as the performer is only required to hold their own body weight, this allows injured muscles more chance of recovery

They are elastics that provide resistance. Resistance increases as injury improves. They offer variety in resistance so can also be used in early stage of injury

+
. Different bands of varying resistance, allowing athletes to choose the correct resistance depending on the stage of their injury

-
. Therabands can snap causing further injury

+
. Useful because they are low impact -> good for early stage of recovery

-
. Less opportunity to overload and build strength to high degree

+
. Provide athlete with a lot of control allowing them to improve strength

-
. range of motion by machine may be limited
. tends to focus on larger muscle groups
. movements don't always mimic sporting actions

+
. performer can make exercises sports specific
. ensures correct muscles are strengthened

-
. poor form/technique can lead to further injury

. In warm water (35-37 degrees)
. Improves blood circulation, relieve pain and relax muscles
. Buoyancy of the water supports the body reducing the load on the joints allowing more work than on land
. Exercising against the load of the water helps strengthen the injured area
. The buoyancy of water can help support injured joints (hydrostatic pressure)
. Can include squats, lunges, walking and running

. Pressurised like an aeroplane where they have 100% pure oxygen
. The pressure increases the oxygen breathed in and absorbed into the injured area
. Excess oxygen dissolves into the blood plasma reducing swelling as haemoglobin becomes saturated with O2
. Increases white blood cell production and supply to the joint
. Removes lactic acid
. Reduces recovery time

. The use of cold temperatures to treat an injury
. RICE is used on common muscle strains (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)
. Limits pain and swelling by reducing blood flow
. Whole body cryotherapy (WBC) is a chamber cooled to below -100 degrees, people are given socks, gloves, and a swimming costume, can only stay for up to 3 mins
. Through vasoconstriction blood is taken back to the core to keep warm
. When placed back in a warm environment, the blood floods back bringing O2 to help injured cells

. They improve circulation to stop deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
. They can be used in sport to reduce inflammation and aid lactate removal
. Also reduces delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS)

. Regular exercise creates tension in soft tissue which is released by massage
. Benefits inc: - improved blood flow, increased nutrients and O2 to aid healing, removal of lactic acid, stretches soft tissue releasing tension and pressure, breaks down scar tissue which can cause mobility issues

. Releases tension between muscle and fascia
. Improves mobility and prevent injury by improving blood flow

. Cools the surface of the skin using ice causing pain relief
. Vasoconstriction on the vessels decreasing blood flow and reducing swelling
. Can reduce muscle spasms by reducing motor nerves
. Decreases metabolic rate

. Body restricts blood flow
. Vasodilation occurs when you leave the bath so oxygenated blood rushes to the muscles bringing oxygen
. Speeds up recovery

. Lack of REM sleep causes less blood to be available for recovery
. Inefficient sleep causes a reduction in growth hormone production
. Reduced concentration/ repair
. Cause tiredness

. Low recovery and performance levels
. Fatigue and slow recovery
. Risk of injury increased
. Lack of concentration/ slow reaction times

Within 20 minutes

Liquid is absorbed far more quickly than solid so provides a quick raise in energy levels from drinks to aid recovery