Safety Measures and

Management of Sports
Injuries
DR. VIDA C. SUGANOB
MEDICAL OFFICER III
4/11/2019
Sports injuries are damages to
the body associated with
athletic activities.
Could be acute/ chronic
About 95 percent of sports
injuries are minor soft tissue
traumas.
  About 5% are major traumas
affecting the bones mostly fracture
and brain injuries.

 
Sports injuries
can affect bones
or soft tissues
such as
ligaments,
muscles, and
tendons.
*Ligament connects bone to another bone
Tendon connects muscle to bone
Types of Sports Injuries
Types of Sports Injuries: CONTUSION
 Contusion Hematoma or Bruise is
the most common Sports Injury
 Trauma ruptures the blood vessel
 Blood collects at the site of the
injury, discolors the skin -
produces Contusion/ Bruise 
 Abnormal collection of blood in
Subcutaneous tissue and
muscles
produces ---- Hematoma
Contusion/ Hematoma

 Hematomas can be a
minor skin bruise, or
a collection of
clotted blood that is
deep within a
muscle, organ, or
even the skull.
SPRAIN vs STRAIN
Types of Sports Injuries: SPRAIN
 Sprains account for one
third of all sports injuries.
 SPRAIN is a partial or
complete tear of a
ligament, a strong band of
tissue that connects
bones to one another and
stabilizes joints.

Bone ----- Ligament --- Bone

Commonly Sprained Ankle Ligament
 ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT (ACL)
TEAR
 Anterior cruciate ligament
connects the leg bone to the
knee. The act of suddenly
stopping and changing
directions or a hard impact to
the side of the knee can cause
strain or tear of the ACL.
 This is one of the most severe
but not most common.
 Completely torn ligament
requires surgery and may cut
an athletic career short.
Types of Sports Injuries: STRAIN
 STRAIN is a partial or
complete tear of a muscle
(tissue composed of cells
that enable the body to
move) or a tendon (strong
connective tissue that links
muscles to bones).

Muscle--/ Tendon -- Bone

Joint strain is the overstretching or
tearing of muscle or tendon
 The main difference is
that with a sprain you
may have bruising around
the affected joint,
whereas with a strain,
you may have spasms in
the affected muscle.
 How are Sprains and Strains treated?

 R- Rest the injured area. ...

I - Put ice on the injury for 20 minutes 4 to 8
times a day.
 C-Compress (squeeze) the injury using special
bandages, casts, boots, or splints. ...
 E-Put the injured ankle, knee, elbow, or wrist
up on a pillow.
 Take medicines, such as aspirin or ibuprofen.
Rest.Ice.Compression.Elevate.

Muscle strain Ankle sprain Compression

Overuse Syndrome:
 The overuse syndrome is usually related to
sports requiring repetitive, high-stress motion
such as tennis, swimming, track and baseball.
 Injury occurs as a result of constant repetition
of a particular movement.
 Stress
fractures, shin splints, and tendonitis are
examples of overuse injuries.
Stress Fracture

A thin crack develops from repetitive force which is caused by overuse.

Most occurs in the bones of the
foot and lower leg which carry the
weight of the body.

Common among:
runners, basketball
players, ballet
dancers
Tendonitis
 Inflammation of a
tendon (tendonitis) and
inflammation of one of
the fluid-filled sacs that
allow tendons to move
easily over bones
(bursitis) usually result
from minor stresses that
repeatedly aggravate
the same part of the
body.
 These conditions often
occur at the same time.
 Treatment for Tendonitis
 Minor to moderate Achilles tendon injuries heal on their own.
 Rest your leg. Avoid putting weight on your leg. May use
crutches.
 Ice your injury for up to 20 minutes at a time as needed.
 Compress with elastic bandage around the lower leg and ankle
to keep down swelling.
 Elevate your leg when you're sitting or lying
 Take NSAD anti-inflammatory drugs as ibuprofen and  naproxen
 Use a heel lift ; wear an insert in your shoe; It will help protect
your Achilles tendon from further stretching.
 Practice stretching and strengthening exercises
SHIN SPLINT
 SHIN SPLINTS are
characterized by soreness and
slight swelling of the front,
inside, and back of the lower
leg and by sharp pain that
develops while exercising and
gradually intensifies.
 Shin splints are caused by
overuse or by stress fractures
that result from the repeated
foot pounding associated with
activities as long-distance
running, basketball, and
volleyball.
Treatment for Shin Splints
 They often heal on their own.
 Check for fractures: X-ray / Bone scans
 Rest your body. It needs time to heal.
 Ice your shin to ease pain and swelling. Do it
for 20-30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2
to 3 days, or until the pain is gone.
 Use insoles or orthotics for your shoes. Shoe
inserts -- which can be custom-made or
bought off the shelf -- may help if your
arches collapse or flatten when you stand
up.
 Take anti-inflammatory medicines
Management for Shin Splints:
Compression and Taping
Management:

Controlling inflammation as well as restoring

normal use and mobility are the goals of
treatment for overuse injuries.
Athletes who have been injured are usually
advised to limit their activities until their
injuries are healed.
 The physician may suggest special exercises
or behavior modifications for athletes who
have had several injuries.
Athletes who have been severely injured may
be advised to stop playing completely.
Types of Sports Injuries:
 A compartment syndrome is a
potentially debilitating condition
in which the muscles of the lower
leg grow too large to be
contained within membranes that
enclose them.
 Swelling of muscles causes
compression of nerves and blood
vessels.
 This condition is characterized
by numbness and tingling .
Compartment Syndrome: Foot
Compartment syndrome is a
condition that occurs
when injury causes
generalized painful swelling
and increased pressure within
a compartment to the point
that blood cannot supply the
muscles and nerves with
oxygen and nutrients.
...If left untreated, muscles
and nerves fail and may
eventually die.
Treatment for Compartment Syndrome
 Prevention is the first step in the treatment of
compartment syndrome.
 Casting or splinting should always be elevated and iced to
minimize the potential for swelling. Elevation should be
above the level of the heart.
 Ice therapy may even be considered even if a cast or
splint has been placed.
 Pain and other symptoms usually stop minutes to hours
after the activity is stopped.
 Rarely, Surgery cut open some of the fascia that surrounds
the compartment to reduce or stop the symptoms.
FRACTURES
Fractured Foot
Symptoms:
 Immediate, throbbing
pain.
 Pain that increases with
activity and decreases 
with rest.
 Swelling.
 Bruising.
 Tenderness.
 Deformity.
 Difficulty in walking or
bearing weight.
Fractured Ankle
Signs and Symptoms:
•Immediate, throbbing pain
•Pain that increases with activity
and decreases with rest
•Swelling
•Bruising
•Tenderness
•Deformity
•Difficulty in walking or bearing
weight
Fractured Arm
 Pain, swelling, tenderness and
bruising in your lower arm.
 Limitedmotion in your upper
arm and shoulder.
 Deformity of your injured arm.
 Shortening of the arm
compared to your uninjured
arm (if pieces of fractured
bone are separated far apart)
 Tingling or numbness
Dislocation - Shoulder
 Shoulder dislocation occurs when Symptoms of a shoulder
the head of the humerus (upper
arm bone) pops out of the subluxation/ dislocation
shallow shoulder socket of the can include:
scapula (called the glenoid).  a visibly deformed or
out-of-place shoulder.
 pain.
 swelling.
 numbness or tingling,
also called
paresthesia, along
the arm.
 trouble moving
the joint.
 Dislocation - Elbow
Signs and Symptoms:
 Severe pain in the
elbow, swelling,
and inability to bend
your arm are all signs of
an elbow dislocation .
 In some cases, you may
have numbness of hand or
absence of  pulse (wrist).
CONTUSION / CONCUSSION
 BRAIN TRAUMA

 Contusion is basically
another word for a bruise—
bleeding on the brain due
to localized trauma.
 Concussion generally refers
to widespread brain
trauma due to a blow to
the head, shaking, or a
similar injury.
Hallmarks of Contusion
 A contusion is basically another word for
a bruise—bleeding on the brain due to
localized trauma
 Minor to severe symptoms such as;
 Changes in cognition as alterations in
personality, or reductions in intelligence.
 Difficulty understanding speech.
 Memory challenges.
 Localized numbness or tingling.
 Difficulty coordinating movements.
 Difficulty speaking.
 Problems with attention.
Hallmarks of Concussion
 Larger region of the brain is injured; several contusions.
 Not all concussions produce immediate symptoms
 A concussion can be a life-threatening injury, so any significant
blow to the head—however minor it seems—warrants a trip to
the emergency room, particularly if you lose consciousness.
 Symptoms of a concussion, like those of a contusion may vary;
 Changes in behavior, attention, or memory.
 An intense headache, feeling of fullness, or pressure in the
head.
 Loss of consciousness and may affect balance, comprehension,
coordination, hearing, memory, and vision.
Management of Sports Injury
Treatment:
 Anti inflammatory medications, taken by mouth or
injected into the swelling, may be used to treat
bursitis.
 Anti-inflammatory medications and exercises to correct
muscle imbalances are often used to treat tendinitis.
 If the athlete keeps stressing inflamed tendons, they
may rupture, and casting or surgery is sometimes
necessary to correct this condition.
  Orthopedic surgery may be required to repair serious 
sprains and strains .
Sports Conditioning
Warm UP:
 Preparethe athlete physiologically and
psychologically for the game
 Increaseblood flow to the muscle allowing them
to loosen up, raise flow of Oxygen to the muscle
 Increaseheart rate and ensure the demand
made on the circulatory and metabolic system
is gradual
 Reduce chance of joint and muscle injury
Warm Up:
Stretching
1. Static – muscle is slowly stretched then
held in that stretched position for
several seconds (e.g. 30 sec hold 3-5
repetitions)
Pre-contraction of stretched muscle and
contraction of antagonist muscle Static stretch
2. Dynamic/ functional stretch – “ Linear
warm – up”
Muscles are stretched by moving joints
and slowly and fluidly through their
range of motion in a controlled manner
Dynamic stretch
 GUIDELINES FOR STRECTHING
DO’s DONT’s
1. Do warm up - Don’t stretch to the point of
2. Do static stretching rather pain
than ballistic if you are a - Don’t ballistically stretch weak
beginner or recently injured
3. Do stretch weak or recently muscles
injured muscle with care - Don’t stretch swollen joints
4. Do stretch muscles of small without professional
joints first supervision
5. Do make certain the body is in - Don’t bounce muscle through
good alignment when excessive ROM
stretched - Don’t stretch several muscles
6. Perform stretching exercise at one time until you have
for each muscle group stretched individual muscles
Cool Down:
 Cool
down is just as
important as warm-up
 Aims to decrease the
intensity of aerobic
session and to return
the body to state of
rest
Cool down:
 Cooling down has the effect of:
1. Preventing blood pooling
2. Bringing the heart rate back down gradually
3. Preventfainting by ensuring that the brain
continues to receive a sufficient supply of blood
4. Reducing blood lactic acid levels
Injury reducing game plans:
Being in shape
Knowing and obeying the rules that regulate the

activity
Not playing when tired, ill, or in pain

Not using steroids, which can improve athletic

performance but cause life-threatening problems
Taking good care of athletic equipment and and

using it properly
Wearing appropriate protective


equipment
Returning to Sports after an Injury
 When the injured part no longer hurts at
rest, start exercising it slowly. If you feel
pain, stop and rest.
Start activity at a very low intensity, and
build up to your previous level.
Increase intensity of exercise only when you
can do so without pain.
You may find that the injured part is now
more susceptible to re-injury.
 Soreness, aches, and tension must be
acknowledged or you may end up with an
even more serious injury.
When to see a doctor..
 Severe pain or if pain persists for more than
two weeks in joint or bone
 Pain radiates to another area of the body
 You have 'point tenderness.' That is, you
can cause pain by pressing on a specific area
but pain is not produced at the same point on the other side of the body.
 Any injury to a joint that produces significant swelling. If left untreated,
joint injuries can become permanent.
 Cannot move the injured part.
 Persistent numbness, tingling or weakness in the injured area.
 Injury doesn't heal in three weeks.
 An infection with pus, red streaks, a fever, or swollen lymph nodes.
Let’s keep our athletes safe
THANK
YOU