Summary:
Sports are good for all of us, but overexertion can lead to injuries to muscle groups and joints, especially those that are under heavy stress, such as the knees and ankles.
All sports activities should be stopped within 6 hours of injury, and heat techniques should be avoided within 48 hours of injury.
For injuries that do not respond to physical therapy and medication, or those that are considered serious at the outset, doctors may consider arthroscopic surgery. This is a minimally invasive technique with a short recovery time. The arthroscope is inserted through a tiny incision that is almost invisible compared to the incisions of traditional surgery. This makes arthroscopic surgery efficient and effective.
Sports Injuries
Playing contact sports can lead to injuries to muscles, ligaments, and joints. Injuries to these areas can severely affect their function, disrupting the player's daily life or reducing the ability to perform standard tasks. Such injuries can be divided into the following two categories:
Contact injuries occur in sports involving at least 2 players, or in team sports that involve contact or collision. Physical contact can cause injuries to muscles and ligaments because they are forced out of place or torn. The most common sports where this type of injury occurs are football, basketball, and rugby.
Non-contact injuries occur in isolated individuals and may be caused by twisting the body due to unstable movements such as jumping or falling. This can result in injuries or tears to muscles, ligaments, and joints.
The severity of sports injuries can be classified into 4 different levels:
Grade 1: Muscle injuries that do not involve any tears. This may cause mild pain, but function is largely unaffected.
Grade 2: Muscle injuries that are slightly torn and tender to the touch. These may also involve pain or bruising, but movement and use are mostly unaffected.
Grade 3: Moderate muscle tears that severely affect movement and cause significant bruising.
Grade 4: Severe muscle tears that cause joint dislocation and extreme pain. These injuries severely affect the patient's daily life because the use of the injured limb is greatly reduced, even causing difficulty walking up and down steps. This type of injury generally requires surgery.
Treatment for grade 1-3 injuries depends on the individual's muscle and joint condition. If adequate support can be provided for the injured limb, the patient may be able to live a relatively normal life. However, injured athletes who rely on the injured limb may need surgery to repair the injury and restore function.
Most Common Sports Injuries
Strains:
These injuries are caused by overstretching a muscle. This condition can occur suddenly and cause the blood vessels around the muscle to tear. However, continued muscle use can also lead to a strain, known as an overuse strain. This includes, for example, weight training too heavy or repetitive exercises that cause muscle bruising. Common examples include hamstring and quadriceps strains.
Sprains:
These are injuries to the tendons or joints, such as an Achilles tendon tear or ankle sprain, and include most ankle and knee injuries. The sports that most often lead to ankle and knee injuries are those that involve contact or collision, such as football. Individual sports that involve full-body movement and twisting and rotation of the joints, such as golf, can also lead to this type of knee or ankle injury.
Knee Injuries:
These injuries are to the joint itself as well as to areas that affect the large ligaments and muscle groups that work with the joint, such as the quadriceps and hamstrings. If any of these moving parts are damaged or don't work as well as they used to, this can lead to an unstable knee. The knee joint is made up of 4 large ligaments: the lateral collateral ligament, the medial collateral ligament, the anterior cruciate ligament, and the posterior cruciate ligament. Any damage or tear to these ligaments can lead to dislocation, which can keep the patient from participating in sports until they are fully recovered.
The menisci of the knee, which are responsible for reducing friction and impact on the knee when jumping, walking down steps, and jogging, are also susceptible to injury. The 4 injury levels mentioned earlier are also used to describe any injury that affects this part of the knee. In addition, the synovial fluid that lubricates the joint can also be damaged, making it another factor to consider when diagnosing a knee injury.
Runner's knee:
This type of injury tends to affect runners, who may feel pain in and around the patella. This occurs especially when walking up or down stairs, or when standing up after sitting for a long time. The cause of this injury can be related to walking up and down steps while training, or adding distance to your training regimen before the body is ready, and can cause problems affecting muscle groups, such as the core body muscles and quadriceps, or flat feet.
Back injuries:
Athletes who often need to rotate their bodies at the hips, core, shoulders, or arms (such as when playing golf) can suffer from overstretched back muscles and lumbar sports injuries. This is why most golfers tend to experience back pain at some point.
Muscle swelling:
Inflammation, tearing or bleeding of muscles can be caused by a bump or bruise and can affect any muscle group in the body.
Ruptured Achilles tendon:
The Achilles tendon is located at the back of the foot and connects the heel to the calf to support the movement of the ankle. The sports most prone to Achilles tendon injuries are those that involve jumping, such as badminton, basketball and football.
Fractures:
Broken bones can occur in the ankle, knee or any other joint.
Dislocations:
Joint dislocations, such as those of the knee or shoulder, are common injuries that affect athletes.
Rotator cuff injuries:
This injury is most common in athletes who play sports that rely on constant shoulder movement, such as tennis and badminton. These repetitive movements can easily lead to overuse injuries or joint impingement, which can cause muscle tears.
Basic first aid advice for sports and athletic injuries
The initial assessment of any injury should include checking for swelling, pain, and determining if movement is affected. Basic first aid treatment can follow the PRICE principle, which is as follows:
Protect: This means preventing or reducing the risk of injury from a collision by using protective gear such as helmets, knee pads, or elbow pads.
Rest: Immediately stop using the injured part of the body, especially within the first 6 hours after the injury. However, most sports or athletic injuries require at least 48 hours of rest before attempting to move the affected limb.
Ice: Cold compresses can reduce bleeding in the affected tissue area and reduce pain and inflammation by slowing blood circulation to the injured area. Ice should be applied for 10-20 minutes, with 5 minutes of rest in between each application. This process can be repeated until the swelling is reduced, or 2-3 times a day. When applying ice, use an ice pack that can maintain a low temperature for 45-60 minutes and wrap it in a cloth to avoid direct contact with the skin. If an ice pack is not available or the injured area is larger than a single ice pack can cover, use frozen bagged vegetables or a damp cold cloth. Another option is a cooling spray, which can temporarily reduce pain in areas with thin skin, such as the chin, knuckles, or ankles.
Compression: The purpose of bandaging an injury is to reduce blood flow to the area. Therefore, the bandage must be made of a flexible and thick material and wrapped tightly around the affected limb. The bandage should also be wrapped above and below the injured area. For best results, it should be used in conjunction with ice.
Elevation: Raising the injured limb to a position above the heart improves blood circulation and helps reduce the pressure buildup caused by fluid secreted by damaged cells, thereby reducing inflammation. For leg or ankle injuries, lying down and elevating the leg or ankle on pillows, or sitting with the ankle on a chair is sufficient. If the injury is severe, this elevation should be continued for 24-48 hours.
Treatment of Sports Injuries
Medication: Medication management can be used to reduce pain and inflammation. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or morphine-based drugs are very useful for treating severe pain, as are intravenous medications, topical creams, and pain patches. Treatment for normal bruises is usually in the form of muscle relaxants or anti-inflammatory drugs and rest.
Physical Therapy: The main goal of physical therapy is to reduce pain. Physical therapy is indicated for ligament or cartilage injuries. This treatment may be performed in conjunction with the use of a cast or to treat muscle weakness prior to surgery.
Surgery: Surgery may be necessary if medication and physical therapy are unsuccessful or if the injury is more severe, such as complete ligament tears leading to joint instability, as well as emergencies such as dislocations and severe joint fractures. Fortunately, most sports injuries can now be treated with arthroscopic surgery. This surgical technique reduces interference with nearby muscle groups and speeds up recovery time. In addition, arthroscopic surgery requires only tiny, barely visible incisions, which improves efficacy and efficiency compared to traditional forms of surgery. The orthopedic surgeon will be responsible for deciding which technique to use after considering the patient's unique situation and type of injury. However, while arthroscopy is currently the most popular form of surgical treatment, there are still some cases where traditional surgery is necessary. For example, the implantation of devices or equipment used to stabilize and strengthen the injured limb cannot be achieved using arthroscopic techniques.
When should you see a doctor?
When your injury incapacitates you.
If the injury becomes chronic and the ongoing pain affects your daily life.
When the pain becomes unbearable.
Prevention
Use appropriate sports equipment, such as quality training shoes.
Wear protective clothing, such as helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads.
Always warm up before exercise and cool down after to help your body return to its pre-exercise state.
Train regularly.
Eat a healthy, nutritious diet.
Take additional vitamins and nutrients when necessary.
Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.
There is no denying that exercise and workouts increase your risk of injury. However, precautions should be taken to reduce this risk, whether it comes from contact with other players or your own movements. If you are injured, always seek proper treatment from a sports injury specialist, as untreated injuries can easily develop into a chronic condition. The specialist will be able to recommend ways to rehabilitate the injury, which can help restore normal function and even help you return stronger than before.
