SPS321

Sports Injury and

Emergency Care
Mohd Fadzil b. Hj. Kamarudin
SR113 UiTM/INSTEDT
Considerations for Managing Sports Injuries

Knowledge of Anatomy & Knowledge of Biomechanics &

Human Physiology Exercise Physiology

Causative Factors
of Sports Injuries

Preventive &
Rehabilitation &
Reactive Measures
Reconditioning Principles
For Sports Injuries
 Factors That Lead to Injuries
• Overdoing and pushing too hard.
• Inadequate footwear and equipment.
• Poor conditioning.
• Weak, tight muscles.
• Improper training techniques.
• No warm up or stretching.
• Ignoring aches and pain
• Repetitive high intensity activities.
• Exercising too soon after injury.
 Classification of Sports Injury Causes
• External violence
– Human (Body contact)
– Implemental (Boot, stick, ball, racquet)
– Vehicular (Ski, car, skate board)
– Environmental (Wall, uneven ground, goal
post, wet or dry track)
• Internal violence
– Strain
– Sprain
– Dislocations
– Fractures
10 Most Common Sports Injuries
Stress (chronic) & acute injuries
 What is the difference between stress
(chronic) injury and acute injury?

Stress or chronic injury

An injury that occurs to an area of the body, due
to repeated stressful exertions or demands of a
physical activity, over along period of time. Pain
is slight or non-existent at the beginning and
then progressively becomes worse. For example
dance aerobics.
Acute injury
This injury occurs when there is immediate
trauma to a part of the body. Pain is immediate
and the injury usually involves tearing of
ligaments, tendons, muscle tissue or even bone
fractures. For example sprained ankle.
What should you do when an injury occurs?

• The usual response would be to administer “First

Aid”.
• First Aid is the temporary and immediate care
given to a person who is injured or who suddenly
becomes ill. It can also involve home care if
medical assistance is delayed or not available.
• It also includes recognizing life-threatening
conditions and taking effective action to keep the
injured or ill person alive and in the best possible
condition until medical assistance can be
obtained.
• You must also remember that First Aid does not
replace the physician, nurse or paramedic.
• FIRST AID stands for – First Informed Response
of Safe &Specific Treatment to Avoid Impending
Danger or Death.
 The Principal Aims of First Aid
• Recognize life threatening situations.
• Supply artificial ventilation and circulation when
needed.
• Control bleeding.
• Care for other life-threatening conditions.
• Minimize further injury and complications.
• Prevent infection.
• Keep the victim as comfortable as possible.
• Arrange for medical assistance and
transportation.
 Role of a Sports First Aider
• You must be able to take charge of a situation.
• Keep calm while working under pressure and
organize others to do the same.
• Be responsible for preparing all the necessary
equipment required for any possible emergency
situation.
• Be responsible for keeping up to date with
information regarding injuries and illnesses, as
well as the latest emergency procedures.
 Priorities of a Sports First Aider
• Initiate emergency plan
• Maintain life support
• Control profuse bleeding
• Minimize widespread systemic tissue damage
• Splint unstable injuries
• Control slow, steady bleeding
• Minimize local tissue damage
• Note: If a head or spine injury is suspected, you
must immobilize the head and spine before
giving any first aid care.
 PRICE
• P – Prevention, prevention, prevention
• R – Rest
• I – Ice
• C – Compression
• E - Elevation
• D – Doctor/Drugs

This is the cornerstone of Sports Injury Management

and should be followed where possible.
• Prevention
– Preventive measures should be taken before
any sporting activity
– Proper warming up and stretching is essential
in ensuring that muscles and joints are flexible
and warm enough
– Equipment and attire should also be suitable
– Athletes should also have had sufficient
training as well as an ideal level of
conditioning before the activity
• Rest
– Relative rest vs. total rest
– This will depend on how severe is the injury
– A serious injury will require a longer rest
period while a small injury will need a shorter
time
• Ice
– Applying ice will decrease the swelling and
pain
– Reduce inflammation
– Ice should be applied withing 10-15 minutes of
the injury
– Characteristic sensations – cold, burning,
aching, numbness
– Keep ice on for 10-30 minutes at 30-45 minute
intervals
– This should be repeated up to 7 days
• Compression
– Gentle, even pressure used in conjuction with
ice helps to minimize the swelling
– Apply the compression loosely and start
below the injury
– Check colour, temperature and sensation
• Elevation
– Place the injured part above the level of the
heart
– This will enhance venous blood return and
extra vascular fluid is drained away from the
injured area
– This procedure should be carried over 24 to
72 hours after the injury
 Categories of Injuries
• Macrotrauma
– This is a specific, sudden overload injury to a
tissue.
– Causes disruption of tissue integrity
– For example, trauma to the bone can lead to
contusion or fracture (closed or open
fracture), or a sharp object cutting the skin
will cause an open wound as well as bleeding.
• Joint trauma
– This includes dislocations (complete
displacement of joint surface).
– It also includes subluxations (partial
displacement of joint surfaces).
– This type of trauma causes joint laxity or
instability.
• Ligamentous trauma
– Also known as SPRAINS
– 1st degree sprain
• Partial tear of ligament
• Without increased joint instability
– 2nd degree sprain
• Partial tear of ligament
• With minor joint instability
– 3rd degree sprain
• Complete tear
• With full joint instability
Strain or sprain?
• Musculotendinous trauma
– Muscle contusions
• This is caused by excess accumulation of blood
and fluid in tissues around the injured muscles.
– Muscle STRAINS –
• This refers to tears of the muscle or tendon
fibres.
• 1st Degree strain
– Partial tear of individual fibres and characterised by
strong but painful muscular activity.
• 2nd Degree strain
– Partial tear with weak, painful muscular activity.
• 3rd Degree strain
– Complete tear with very weak, painless muscle activity.
• Microtrauma
– Overuse injuries resulting from repeated,
abnormal stress applied to a tissue by
continuous training or training with too
little recovery time.
– Caused by training errors, inadequate
training surfaces, faulty biomechanics &
techniques.
– Overuse injuries to bone may lead to,
stress fractures, caused by excessive
training on hard surfaces.
– Overuse injuries to tendons are callled
tendonitis.
The hidden injury: Stress fractures
From injury to recovery