Notes for Sports Medicine

Resource Description

CQ1: How are sports injuries classified and managed?
DP1 – ways to classify sports injuries
 Direct injuries are injuries caused by direct external forces or by collision from an external
source.
o E.g. shoulder dislocation caused by a tackle in football.
 Indirect injuries are caused by intrinsic forces (i.e. forces within the body), usually caused by
inadequate warm up, poor technique or ballistic movements.
o E.g. sprinter tearing a hamstring during a race.
 Soft tissue injuries include damage to muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, blood vessels,
organs and nerves. They may be acute (occurring suddenly) or chronic (prolonged).
o E.g. contusions, tears.
 Hard tissue injuries cause damage to bones or teeth.
o E.g. fractures, dislocations.
 Overuse injuries result from intense use of body areas; caused by repetitive, low-impact
exercise.
o E.g. shin splints, tendonitis.

DP2 – management of soft tissue injuries
 Sprains arise from the stretching or tearing of a ligament (strong, rigid, inelastic tissue
connecting bone to bone).
 Strains occur when muscles or tendons are stretched or torn.
o Characterised by pain, swelling, bruising and limited ROM.
o Graded according to severity – first degree (little damage), second degree (moderate
damage) and third degree (extensive damage, usually severed).
 Contusions are caused by the crushing of soft tissue, which ruptures blood vessels.
o Vary in intensity – some are superficial (skin-deep) however others can penetrate
deeply and bruise bone.
o Haematomas (blood tumours) form as blood clots in connective tissue, interrupting
blood flow.

 Abrasions are areas of scraped skin, caused by the application of force such as friction.
o Characterised by pain and shallow bleeding – objects such as gravel may also be
embedded in the skin.

 Lacerations are wounds where the flesh has been deeply and irregularly torn or cut.
o Lacerations longer than 1cm must be referred to a doctor.
 Blisters are caused by a collection of fluid below/within the surface layer of skin.
o These commonly occur with new equipment being used, prolonged use of
equipment or frequent changes in activity causing friction.
o Management initially requires 24hrs rest, however more serious blisters may need
to be surgically drained and a donut pad applied.

 Treatment for any skin injury involves pressure to stop initial bleeding, as well as
cleaning/sterilisation and covering of the wound to prevent infection.