Causes of

Sports
Injuries
 What
are
Injuries?
• Injuries are damaged
tissues or organs which
occurs when it
encounters trauma or
physical force that is
greater than what it can
resist or absorb.
 What are the
factors that
influence our
tissues or organs
to effectively resist
or absorb force?
• Inherent abnormality
• Age
• Technique
• Fitness level
• Equipment
• Environmental aspects
 Tissues & organs
react to the impact
& direction of
force such as…
• Tensile forces – those
that act away from
the center of the
structure, causing a
pull or stretch.
• Compressive force –
impact the center
causing it to bend or
fold.
• Shear forces –
opposing forces
towards the different
ends of the structure
causing it to twist.
Note:
• The bone is strong in resisting
compressive strength while
muscle – tendon units are
strong at resisting tensile
forces.
• An individual who engages in
various types of strenuous
activities will expose his/ her
body to these forces which
could result to injury.
Musculoskeletal structure
• Ligaments
• Tendons
• Muscles
• Bones
The strength properties of each
musculsketal structures depend
on…
• The density of
collagen and elastin
fibers present
• The tissues
 Classification of Injuries:
• Acute injuries – have signs and
symptoms (e.g., pain & swelling)
that manifest immediately after
force application.
• chronic/ overuse injuries – occur
after a long period of exposure
to the force.
 Examples of acute injuries
• Sprains – overstretch ligament
• Strains- caused by excessive
stretching that causes tears in
muscle tendon unit.
• Fractures – breaks in the continuity
of the bone
• Dislocations – bones that are pushed
out from their joint capsule
• wounds
Examples of chronic injuries
• Stress fractures (bone)
• Tendinopathy (muscle –
tendon unit)
• Osteoarthritis (joint)
• Bursitis( fluid filled sac)