Got sports, then you might have some injuries.
Got sports, then you might have some injuries.
By Daniel Rocha LMT CPT CNS
Sports injuries occur from acute trauma or repetitive stress related to athletics. Sports injuries affect bones and soft tissue such as ligaments, muscles, and tendons. Many treatments and preventive measures utilized in sports medicine are now applied to most physical injuries that occur on the job. Sports medicine principles can be used to treat the most common musculoskeletal injuries. Adults suffer fewer sports injuries than children due to immature reflexes, the inability to recognize and evaluate risks, and underdeveloped coordination.
Types of sports injuries
Most sports injuries are minor soft tissue traumas, with bruises or contusions being the most common. Sprains, which account for one-third of all sports injuries, are a partial or complete tear of a ligament. A strain is a partial or complete tear of muscle or tendon. Tendinitis and bursitis result from minor stresses that repeatedly aggravate the same part of the body, often coinciding.
SKELETAL INJURIES. Fractures account for 5–6% of all sports injuries, with bones of the arms and legs the most susceptible to being broken. Fractures rarely occur in the spine or skull, but the bones of the legs and feet are exposed to stress fractures, occurring when muscle strains or contractions make bones bend. Stress fractures are familiar with ballet dancers, long-distance runners, and people whose bones are thin.
Shin splints are soreness and slight swelling of the front, inside, and back of the lower leg; they develop a sharp pain while exercising. Shin splints are caused by overuse or by stress fractures from the repeated foot pounding of activities such as aerobics, long-distance running, basketball, and volleyball.
A compartment syndrome is a debilitating condition where the lower leg muscles grow too large to be contained within membranes that enclose them. This condition causes numbness and tingling and can result in long-term loss of function if untreated.
BRAIN INJURIES.
The primary cause of fatal sports-related injuries is brain injury. A concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), results from minor blows to the head. Trauma can cause loss of consciousness and affect balance, comprehension, coordination, hearing, memory, and vision.
TREATMENT
Treatment for minor soft tissue injuries compresses the injured area with an elastic bandage, elevation, ice, and rest. Anti-inflammatories, taken orally or injected, may be used to treat bursitis. Anti-inflammatory medications and exercises to correct muscle imbalances treat tendinitis. Continuous stress on inflamed tendons may cause a rupture, where a cast or surgery is required to correct the condition. Orthopedic surgery is needed for severe sprains and strains. Controlling inflammation and restoring regular use and mobility are treatment goals for overuse injuries.
Athletes are advised to limit their activities until their injuries are healed, and a physician will prescribe special exercises or behavior modifications for athletes with several injuries. Athletes with severe injuries are advised to stop playing altogether.
Fitness Myths
Fitness myths are beliefs about fitness and physical activity that are false, partially true, or subject to misinterpretation. Most fitness myths are harmless half-truths; others may be counterproductive or place people at risk for injury or other harmful effects.
Some fitness myths are longstanding beliefs that survive even when new research proves false. Other myths promote fitness products, while others are perpetuated by the media or experts or professionals with financial ties to fitness companies. Fitness is an active area of research, but new information may not be widely available, or people are unwilling to change their habits in light of recent findings. The quality of fitness research varies, and some research is biased. Every individual responds differently to various procedures, so a product or technique that appears to work for some individuals may not be applicable for others.
Fitness is vital for physical, psychological, and mental health and for preventing chronic disease. However, adhering to fitness myths interferes with fitness goals and can be counterproductive and contribute to illness or injury.
Fascial Fitness
New research reinforces the importance of fascia and other connective tissue in functional training. Fascia is the organ system of stability and mechano regulation, and understanding this may revolutionize fitness. Research into the fascial net discredits traditional beliefs and some new favorites as well. The evidence gears to a further consideration within overall fitness for life, hence the term fascial fitness. Recent research provides a better understanding of how best to train the fascial net.
Fascial elasticity has been recently recognized, but the mechanisms involved are still being studied, with applications to training already evident. Connective tissue, such as tendons and aponeuroses, is much more elastic, and fascial elasticity is stored and returned very quickly. Fascial elasticity is a factor when the motion is cyclic and quickly repeated, as in running, walking, or bouncing, but not in bicycling, where the repetitive cycle is far too slow to take advantage of fascia’s elastic properties.
The runners who train for and employ more elasticity use less muscle power and less glucose during their runs due to energy storage in the stretch and returning during the release, creating more endurance with less fatigue. Building in this elasticity is a matter of demanding the tissues to act in this way and may take 6–24 months to build fascial elasticity.
Understanding fascia is the foundation for manual therapist such as massage therapist and naprapaths, as it is the gentle manipulation of connective tissue to improve blood, lymph, and nerve impulses. This clearing allows for better nutrient delivery, improved waste clearing, and improved connection with organs to the brain and spine. Overall improves one’s healing and recovery, leading to an enhanced quality of life.
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Alic, M., Ph.D. (2017). Fitness Myths. In T. Moy (Ed.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Fitness (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 398-403). Gale. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3663000110/HWRC?u=lirn33148&sid=bookmark-HWRC&xid=27d5bfed
Haggerty, M., & Frey, R. J. (2020). Sports Injuries. In J. L. Longe (Ed.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (6th ed., Vol. 8, pp. 4855-4857). Gale. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX7986601776/HWRC?u=lirn33148&sid=bookmark-HWRC&xid=ee664d73
Meyers, T. (n.d.). Fascial Fitness: Training in the neuromyofascial web. Fascial Fitness: Training in the Neuromyofascial Web. Retrieved October 7, 2021, from http://2013.ecite.org/documentation/Stick%20ContentsCIence%20-%20Colleen%20Bartley/Fascia/Fascial_Fitness__Training_in_the_Neuromyofascial_Web.pdf.