PE and Health

CHAPTER 7
SAFETY PRACTICES IN SPORTS AND EXERCISES

CAUSES OF SPORTS INJURY

What are injuries? Why is my risk in getting injured higher now that I am more active?

Individuals who engage in various types of physical activities such as sports and exercise have a higher risk of
getting injured as compared to those who practice sedentary lifestyle. Most of the injuries are preventable and
awareness of the risk factors will help in reducing the risk.

Injuries are damaged tissues or organs which occur when it encounters trauma or physical force that is greater
than what it can resist or absorb. The tissues are able to withstand varying degrees of stress and strain but it will break
down if it experiences an impact that is stronger than what it can tolerate.

 Factors influencing the ability of our tissues or organs to effectively resist or absorb forces include:
 Inherent abnormality
 Age
 Technique
 Fitness level
 Equipment
 Environmental aspects
 Tissues and organs react to the direction of force. This forces are:
1. Tensile forces – those that act away from the center of the structure causing a pull or stretch.
2. Comprehensive forces – creates an impact to the center causing it to bend or fold.
3. Shear forces – opposing forces toward the different ends of the structure causing it to twist.

 The bone is strong in resisting the comprehensive strength while muscle-tendon units are strong at
resisting tensile forces. An individual engages in various types of strenuous activities will expose his body
to those forces which could result to an injury.

FUNCTIONS OF MUSCULOSKELETAL STRUCTURES

Category Function Acute Injury

Ligaments Stabilize joints Sprain
Tendons Attaches muscle to bones Strain
Muscles Creates movements Strain
Bones Anchor for muscles Fracture
Joints Fulcrum for movements Dislocation

 Acute injuries have signs and symptoms. Here are the types of acute injuries:
 Sprain
- caused by overstretched ligament.
- can be classified into mild, moderate, and severe, depending on the loss of function and
number of torn fibers.
  Strain
- caused by excessive stretching of the muscle-tendon unit.
- The same classification with sprain.
 Fractures
- are breaks in the continuity of the bone.
- usually happens as a result of high-impact forces that cause bone to bend or twist.
 Dislocation
- bones that are pushed out from their joint capsule.

How do injuries occur? How are they classified?

Overuse injuries are common with individuals who have been training for a long period of time with minimal rest
and recovery between sessions. The body has the ability to recover from overuse injuries, given enough recovery time
and nutrition. Some individuals that train to hard and too soon are not able to cope up with the increased demand
resulting to microscopic injuries. These microscopic injuries will accumulate over time resulting to chronic injuries. Chronic
injury includes:

 Stress fractures (bone)

 Tendinopathy (muscle-tendon unit)
 Osteoarthritis (joint)
 Bursitis (fluid-filled sac)

 There are three types of overuse injury according to severity.

 Stage I – athletes with this injury complain of pain only after the activity, game, or training
sessions.
 Stage II – athletes with this injury complain during and after an activity but do not feel it during
rest.
 Stage III – athletes with this injury feel pain whether at rest or play.

CLASSIFICATION OF SPRAINS AND STRAINS ACCORDING TO SEVERITY

Category Fibers damaged Loss of function

Mild (first degree) Minimal tear Pain when moved
Moderate (second degree) Partial tear Pain at rest and when moved
Severe (third degree) Complete tear Complete loss of function

Are certain individuals at more risk of getting injured? What factors increase the risk of injury?

It is widely accepted that people engaging in sports or fitness training have a higher risk of getting injured. Children
and older people are also at higher risk because of poor motor control and weak musculoskeletal structures. There are
certain characteristics or factors that increase the likelihood of injury. These factors increase the susceptibility of the
individual to injury but it does not cause the injury. Risk factors are classified as modifiable (tournament rules, apparel)
and non-modifiable (age, gender).

Some experts classify risk factors as intrinsic (individual factor) or extrinsic (environmental factor). The most
common intrinsic factor is muscle imbalance between muscle pairs where the muscle becomes a little too tight.
 According to experts, obese individuals and those with poor fitness level have a higher risk of getting injured.
Studies also show that injuries are associated with age. Fractures and other injuries are common among youth while
overuse injuries are common among older individuals.

Other factors related to the environment or environmental factor:

1. Protective equipment
2. Footwear
3. Coaching experience
4. Rule modification
5. Use of structured warm-up

Why does a body part swell after getting injured?

During acute injuries, the body will initiate the healing process through inflammatory response. The inflammatory
response remove the body tissue by increasing blood flow and activating the lymphatic system to the injured site.
Swelling occurs due to fluid accumulation as a result of increased blood flow and blood vessel permeability. Aside from
swelling, inflammation is also characterized by pain, redness, and warmth. During inflammation, special cells remove that
damaged tissue to provide a foundation where new tissue can grow.

The healing process takes a several months to a year to complete. There are factors that may prolong the healing
period such as too much swelling, limited blood supply, old age, and weak muscle strength. It is important that proper
care is given to the injury to minimize delay and maximize strength of new tissue.

Injury Type of Injury Common cause of Injury

Sprain Acute Twisting or pulling force
Strain Acute Pulling force during rapid
acceleration
Fracture Acute Falling or breaking a fall
Dislocation Acute Falling or breaking a fall
Stress fracture Overuse Repetitive high impact stress
Tendinopathy Overuse Repetitive movement using poor
technique
Osteoarthritis Overuse Repetitive high impact stress
Bursitis Overuse Repetitive movement using poor
technique