TYPES OF SPORTS
INJURIES Some sports injuries are the unfortunate result of one episode of trauma, due to the violent forces involved. These are difficult to anticipate or prevent. However, many well-known sports injuries are the result of smaller forces imposed over time on a susceptible frame. These
repetitive or
overuse injuries can be studied with an eye toward prevention. In addition, the need for expeditious recovery from injury has led to improvements in rehabilitation techniques and revolutionized training and conditioning methods for sport.
Stress Fractures
The running boom has produced an explosion of overuse injuries in the lower extremities. Joggers are subject to "stress fractures" in the lower leg and foot. Stress fractures occur when weight-bearing forces overload the bone, breaking it down faster than it can rebuild itself. The pain that results is different from that of "shin splints," tendinitis, and "compartment syndromes," which are also overuse injuries, also common in joggers.
Knee Injuries
In part, the growth of American interest in sports medicine originated with the orthopedic surgeons who treated football players. The severe knee injuries incurred by these athletes and their need to return as rapidly as possible to the highest levels of performance demanded a more methodical approach to treatment. The "spare no expenses" approach to injury care and prevention in professional athletes fostered the explosive growth in new technologies like arthroscopic surgery and ligament-protective braces. The arthroscope provides fiberoptic visualization of a joint through small puncture wounds. It permits many surgeries to be accomplished on an outpatient basis with less trauma to surrounding muscle and soft tissue and more rapid recovery time.
Back Injuries
Lower back and spine problems are more frequent in sports that require repetitive bending, such as ice hockey or weight lifting. Conditioning to build up flexibility in the spine and hamstring
muscles of the posterior thigh and strength in the abdominal muscles that support the spinal column is the key to injury prevention. Cervical spine, or neck, injuries result from high-velocity collision sports like football; good
equipment with strict enforcement of safety rules and coaching techniques can prevent these injuries.
Shoulder Injuries
Shoulder problems are common in the throwing sports of tennis, baseball, and swimming. Rehabilitation programs that emphasize strengthening the rotator cuff muscles, which stabilize the shoulder joint, combined with strict coaching attention to details of
technique and performance can help prevent this type of problem.
Elbow Injuries
Many elbow injuries are the result of repetitive overuse rather than one episode of acute trauma. In these injuries, technique, training, and equipment modifications often play the biggest role in treatment. For example, tennis elbow is the result of repetitive microtrauma in the elbow due to stresses on the backhand stroke. This may be caused by improper equipment or poor technique or even relative muscle weaknesses in that hand. Treatment stresses equipment and technique improvements. Elastic braces are used to alter stresses on the elbow and strengthen weak muscles.
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