Consequences of sports injuries.

Sports injuries, in any part of the body that occur, will always influence both the
physique and the psyche of the participant. The personality of the athlete, rather than
being isolated from this physical fact, will remain deeply involved.

Because the athlete acts with his own body, any type of limitation takes on a
very special meaning; He will always be attentive to the state of his body that may limit
his performance, which explains the psychological consequences of physical handicap
being very different.

A recently injured athlete may experience a repetition of the injury or an injury to

another part of the body (due to overprotection of the already injured part), poor
performance, and a loss of confidence that may be permanent while practicing. sport.

For professional athletes, getting injured can have very important negative
repercussions, in addition to those derived from their own health, such as interruption
of their sports career, loss of professional status, reduction of financial resources, etc.

Next, we will proceed to clarify the consequences of sports injuries in the

physical and psychological sphere. Developing the physical consequences of sports
injuries in various categories.

Muscle injuries:

 Joint problems.

Joints can become stiff if they have to be held still for a long time, for example
while a splint or cast is applied. The knee, elbow, and shoulder are particularly prone to
developing stiffness after an injury, especially in older people.

Physical therapy is usually necessary to prevent stiffness and help the joint
move as normally as possible.

Severe sprains can cause joint instability. Having unstable joints can be
disabling and increases the risk of osteoarthritis. Proper treatment can help prevent
permanent problems.

 Compartment syndrome
 Very rarely, swelling under a cast is severe enough to contribute to
compartment syndrome. Because the inflammation puts pressure on nearby blood
vessels, blood flow to the injured limb is reduced or stopped. As a result, tissues in the
limb may be injured or die, and the limb may have to be amputated.

Bone injuries:

 Instability: various fractures can cause joint instability. Instability can be

disabling and increases the risk of osteoarthritis
.
 Stiffness and decreased range of motion: Fractures that extend to the articular
cartilages usually affect the articular cartilage; Poorly aligned articular cartilage
usually scars and causes osteoarthritis and alterations in joint mobility. Stiffness
is more likely if a joint requires prolonged immobilization. The knee, elbow and
shoulder are particularly prone to post-traumatic stiffness, especially in the
elderly.

 Nonunion or delayed union: Sometimes fractures do not heal (called

pseudarthrosis), or union is delayed. Major contributing factors include
incomplete immobilization, partial interruption of vascular supply, and patient
factors that impair healing (e.g. e.g., the use of corticosteroids or thyroid
hormone).

 Anomalous union: Consolidation or anomalous union is healing with residual

deformity. It is more likely if a fracture is not adequately reduced and stabilized.

 Osteonecrosis: part of a fracture fragment may become necrotic, mainly when

the vascular supply is damaged. Closed fractures prone to osteonecrosis
include scaphoid fractures, displaced femoral neck fractures, and displaced
talar neck fractures.

 Osteoarthritis: Fractures that disrupt the weight-bearing surfaces of the joints or

result in joint malalignment and instability predispose to articular cartilage
degeneration and osteoarthritis.
  Limb length discrepancy: If a fracture in children involves a growth plate, growth
may be affected, resulting in a limb that is shorter than another. In adults,
surgical repair of a fracture, especially femoral fractures, can cause a leg length
discrepancy which can lead to difficulty walking and the need to lift the shoe for
the shorter leg.

Tendon injuries:

 Stiffness and impaired range of motion: Stiffness is more likely if

a joint requires prolonged immobilization. The knee, elbow and shoulder are
particularly prone to post-traumatic stiffness, especially in the elderly.

 Osteoarthritis: Injuries that cause joint instability predispose to

the development of repetitive joint stresses that can damage the articular
cartilage and lead to osteoarthritis.

Psychological consequences.

An injury isolates the athlete from the activity or, at least, places him in
conditions where he cannot carry out, in all their scope, the requirements of sports
performance. Therefore, the athlete, immersed in the aspiration of giving his or her
maximum in order to obtain high results, when suffering an injury that results in an
obvious loss of immediate or future performance, may suffer trauma in the
psychological sphere.

Before, during and after injury and readaptation, the athlete's thoughts and
beliefs are determinants of the athlete's subsequent behavior. What the athlete does
not say also turns out to be of utmost importance. As a consequence, the first cognitive
behavior modification measure to take after an injury is to sensitize the athlete
regarding defective thinking.

The Wiese-Bjornstal theory that proposes an Integrated Model of the

Psychological Response to Injury and the Rehabilitation Process in which theories
based on the stress process and others focused on the pain process are integrated;
Cognitive appraisal and pain process models are not mutually exclusive, but rather
these, applied to the injury, can be subsumed by a broader and more integrative stress
model, showing the dynamic nature of the recovery process: cognitive appraisals. They
can affect emotions, and these affect behaviors; In turn, emotions affect behaviors and
these affect cognitive evaluations; and so on; The psychological consequences are
related to the entire experience of the injury, around the three components of the
model: cognitive assessment, emotional response and behavioral response.

Personal and situational factors mediate the cognitive appraisals of the injured
person and these, in turn, influence the emotional and behavioral response, ultimately
obtaining the overall psychological response of the injured athlete (the fact of an injury
causes a strong burden on the athlete). of anxiety) in the recovery of the injured athlete
The severity of the injury, the mood, the role within the club, federation or sports team
(starter or substitute), affect the level of anxiety and possible stress responses.
According to Palmi (2001) it is very important to ensure that the athlete controls his
anxiety, has confidence in the medical team and maintains a high level of motivation to
develop the rehabilitation program and adequate adherence to it.