A sports injury may involve damage to one or a number of structures; muscles, ligaments, joints, tendons or bones. The severity of the injury can often be assessed by the degree of pain, swelling and inability to use the damaged limb that results.
Muscle Injuries
Muscle fibres will tear if the muscle is overstretched beyond its normal limits. This type of sports injury is known as a muscle STRAIN. Muscles commonly affected include the hamstrings, quadriceps, groin and calf muscles. Muscle fibres may also be damaged by direct blows which result in Bruising.
Ligament Injuries
A ligament is like a piece of cord which connects bones together and prevents excessive movement. A ligament sprain results when ligaments are stretched beyond their normal limits. Ankle and knee ligament sprains are most commonly seen.
Joint Injuries
A joint injury results when one or more bones are partially or fully displaced. A joint subluxation occurs when the bones only partially displace and return to their normal position. A joint dislocation results when the bones fully displace and remain out of position. Dislocations are often caused by falls or by collisions with other players. Shoulder dislocations are an example of this type of injury.
Bone Injuries
The most common bone injuries are fractures. Fractures can result from a direct blow to the limb. Repetitive trauma that causes gradual bone breakdown is known as a “stress fracture”. “Shin splints” are caused by repetitive trauma.
Treatment
Immediate sports injuries management should follow the R I C E D regime.
If pain and discomfort persist, see your Osteopath immediately for diagnosis and ongoing treatment.
Winter Sports Injuries
Australia is a sports-loving nation, as both participants and spectators. Australia’s mild winters mean that in most parts of Australia, participation in outdoor exercise and sports can occur all year round. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), over 60% of Australians participate in sports and exercise programs.
The Medibank Private Safe Sports Report found that their member’s main motivation to exercise were (in order): general health and fitness, weight loss, to have fun and enjoy social benefits.
The report also revealed that ‘individual’ rather than ‘team-based’ activities were the most popular. This is consistent with published data from the ABS Year Book. Walking, aerobics, fitness, swimming and golf ranked among the top five participation sports/physical activities.
According to the Monash University Accident Research Centre approximately 5.2 M Australians suffer a sports-related injury each year. Surveys indicate that the most common injuries (in order) are to the knee, ankle, foot, back and shoulder.
Statistically, sports injuries peak in the months of May, June and July. This is not surprising because cold muscles, tendons and ligaments increase your risk of sustaining injury.
The fear of sustaining a sports injury should not deter someone from participating in winter exercise/sport. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce the probability of developing heart disease, diabetes, mental illness and many types of cancer (particularly breast and colon cancer). The benefits certainly outweigh the risks.
Dr Peter Larkins is a noted sports medicine specialist (as well as being an Olympic athlete and media personality) in Australia. In order to reduce the risk of a winter sports injury, Dr Larkins recommends:
- Get the correct advice on the right activity program for you
- Warm up and cool down
- Have the correct equipment for your activity
- Begin slowly and gradually build up to the challenge
- Keep hydrated
- Listen to your body
- Give yourself one or two recovery days each week
- Rest an injury, don’t try to ‘work through’ the pain
- Progress at your own pace and don’t overdo it
Before beginning any exercise program, it is advised that you visit with your Physiotherapist, especially if you have had a previous injury or musculoskeletal condition. Your Physio is trained to assess/evaluate your body and offer valuable advice to assist you in preventing winter sports injuries.
Regular exercise and Osteopathy care are recommended for a healthy lifestyle.
Sports Injury Management
You probably already know that a sports injury can not only affect your performance, but also your lifestyle.
Sport may result in injuries, many of which can be prevented. Whether you are an elite athlete or a “Sunday walker” sports injuries can be a common and frustrating problem. The good news is that most sports injuries can be effectively treated by your Physiotherapist. Proper sports injuries management, rehabilitation and advice can be sought through the expertise of Osteopath. You will be enabled to return to your sporting activity as soon as possible following an injury.
Also, sports injuries can often be caused from overuse and over training, such as runner’s knee or tennis elbow where the player pushes their body to the limit. Sports injuries can also occur due to under training. Not stretching and having a good warm up can also lead to many injuries as the body is not prepared for the exercise.
Treatment goals include:
- Relieving your pain quicker via joint mobility techniques, massage and electrotherapy
- Improving your scar tissue using techniques to guide the direction it forms
- Getting you back to sport or work quicker through faster healing rates
- Loosening or strengthening of your injured region with individually prescribed exercises
- Improving your performance when you do return to sport – we’ll detect and help you to correct any biomechanical faults that may be affecting your technique or predisposing you to injury
Physiotherapists are highly qualified and trained in the assessment and treatment of sports injuries. Sports Physio treatment techniques employed include the use of various electrotherapeutic agents such as interferential, ultrasound, laser, ice and heat. Other injury rehab techniques commonly used include joint mobilisation and manipulation techniques to increase the length and strength of muscles and prescription of exercises to enhance balance and co-ordination.
One of the important aspects of physiotherapy management is helping you to learn self-care. This may be in the form of exercises, strapping/ bracing, learning how to modify your activity to reduce overstressing your injured part and learning self-treatment strategies.
Your Physiotherapist will guide you safely back to the level of sport at which you wish to participate. If you need guidance, simply ask us.
Sports Injury Rehab
Physiotherapy plays an integral part in the multi-disciplinary approach to the management of sports injuries. The aim of physiotherapy is to treat and fully rehabilitate the athlete post-injury, post-operatively, to prevent further injury and to return the athlete to sport in the shortest possible time.
Sports injury rehabilitation focuses on treating injuries specific to you as an athlete and your sport, so you can return to compete as well – if not better – than before your injury.
Our Physiotherapists will conduct a thorough evaluation and create a customised rehabilitation program designed to help you reach your goals. In addition to treating an injury when one occurs, our Physiotherapists will teach you how to prevent injuries in the future.
Whether you’re a weekend warrior who wants to prevent an injury or treat a current one, a child or high school student injured on the field, or a professional athlete who wants to improve your game, our sports rehabilitation program will help you reach your goals.
Goals of Treatment and Rehabilitation
- Protect the injured tissues to allow healing and to control the early inflammatory phase.
- Rehabilitate flexibility, strength, proprioception, and muscle imbalance, and control physical activities with the aid of taping and splinting.
- Sport-specific activities must be tested to ensure the athlete can return to sport safely.
If proper rehabilitation is not undertaken, the athlete may be competing too soon, with residual instability, proprioceptive disturbance and muscle weakness and imbalances. Individual programmes must be planned and implemented per athlete. This would include sport-specific exercises, adaptation to new postures to correct muscle imbalance, taping and strapping and a home exercise programme.
Overtraining must be very carefully avoided in all of these phases, and training is monitored so that full activity does not occur before full recovery has taken place.
It is obvious that prevention is better than cure and your physiotherapist will always advise the patient on how to prevent recurrence of the injury on return to sport.
Helpful Tips for Athletes:
- Never train hard when stiff from the previous effort.
- Introduce new activities very gradually.
- Allow lots of time for warming up and cooling off.
- Train on different surfaces, using the right footwear.
- Shower and change immediately after the cool down.
- Stay away from infectious areas when training or competing very hard.
- Be extremely fussy about hygiene in hot weather.
Monitor fatigue. If tired, ease off training.
Sports Injuries and Chiropractic Care
Many musculoskeletal complaints arise from injuries sustained in sports. Each year we see athletic performance draw closer to the limits of human potential. Understanding the biomechanical principles involved helps us to prevent injury and restore functional integrity and stability through rehabilitation.
Sports injury treatment is designed to achieve optimal results for patients with a quicker recovery time. The Chiropractor combines chiropractic adjustments to realign the spine and help restore mobility with exercises to help injured muscles, tendons and ligaments by strengthening and returning them to normal. If you have suffered from a sports injury, proper rehabilitation is necessary to result in a healthy return to an active lifestyle.
Goals of Treatment and Rehabilitation
- Protect the injured tissues to allow healing and to control the early inflammatory phase.
- Rehabilitate flexibility, strength, proprioception, and muscle imbalance, and control physical activities with the aid of taping and splinting.
- Sport-specific activities must be tested to ensure the athlete can return to sport safely.
If proper rehabilitation is not undertaken, the athlete may be competing too soon, with residual instability, proprioceptive disturbance and muscle weakness and imbalances. Individual programmes must be planned and implemented per athlete. This would include sport-specific exercises, adaptation to new postures to correct muscle imbalance, taping and strapping and a home exercise programme.
Overtraining must be very carefully avoided in all of these phases, and training is monitored so that full activity does not occur before full recovery has taken place.
It is obvious that prevention is better than cure and your Chiropractor will always advise the patient on how to prevent recurrence of the injury on return to sport.
Helpful Tips for Athletes:
- Never train hard when stiff from the previous effort.
- Introduce new activities very gradually.
- Allow lots of time for warming up and cooling off.
- Train on different surfaces, using the right footwear.
- Shower and change immediately after the cool down.
- Stay away from infectious areas when training or competing very hard.
- Be extremely fussy about hygiene in hot weather.
Monitor fatigue. If tired, ease off training.
