Sports Injury

1. Sports Injury
By : Gan Quan Fu, BPT, PGS (Anatomy)
Cert in Genomic and Precision Medicine, Cert in University Teaching

2. Learning Outcomes
 Understand the role of Sports Physiotherapist
 Identify the risk factors of sports injury.
 Outline the strategies for prevention of sports
injury.

3. Contents
 Introduction to Sports Injuries
 Role of Sports Physiotherapist
 Nature of Sports Injury
 Risks factors in sports injuries
 Strategies in preventing sports injuries
 Principles in evaluating and treating sports
injury(esp. soft tissue injuries)
 Types of injuries(muscles, tendons and ligaments)

4. What is Sports Injury???
 Injuries that occur in athletic activities. They can result
from acute trauma, or from overuse of a particular body
part.

5. Role of Sports Physiotherapist
 Sports Physical Therapy is a specialized practice that
focuses on prevention, evaluation, treatment,
rehabilitation, and performance enhancement of the
physically-active individual.
 They are also involve in Education of the athlete,
coach, family members about the various preventative
and management techniques previously discussed.
 Besides that, they must also involve in research. This
is because treatment and rehabilitation are constantly
changing in response to our interpretation of the basic
and clinical sciences. So, sports physical therapist is a
part of a team that is researching and implementing
research findings to assist the athletically active
individual in his or her pursuits.

6. Role of Sports Physiotherapist
 Prevention
 Includes those interventions that assist the athletically-active
individual in preventing injuries. If an injury occurs, continuing
their pursuits with minimal disruptions. Areas of this practice
include pre-participation screening, equipment recommendations,
and cardiovascular fitness programs designed to assist in a safe
and unremarkable return to activity.
 Evaluation
 Must be highly skilled in evaluation of active and chronic injuries.
A hallmark of this practice is the assessment of surgical and non-
surgical neuromusculoskeletal injuries. Included in this is the
functional assessment of the individual post-injury to assist in a
safe return to activity.
 Treatment & Rehabilitation
 Treatment and rehabilitation of neuromusculoskeletal injuries is at
the center of sports physical therapy practice. In a team approach
with physicians, the sports physical therapist designs and
implements programs for the management of these disorders in
clients of all ages and physical abilities, including those with
physical disabilities as well as elite athletes.

7. Role of Sports Physiotherapist
 Performance Enhancement
 Assist athletically-active individuals to improve their
performance in a variety of ways. The foundation of
performance enhancement is provided by a thorough
evaluation of the neuromusculoskeletal and the
cardiovascular-pulmonary systems. The results of this
evaluation are compiled to outline strengths and
weaknesses in an individual's physical profile. This
profile can then be matched to the individual's specific
athletic activity. Areas of deficiency in flexibility,
muscular strength and endurance, and in the
aerobic/anaerobic systems can be outlined in a specific
training regime. Follow-up evaluations can determine
further training program changes.

8. Nature of Sports Injury
 Certain amount of physical activity is considered an
important element in health promotion and public
interest in health enhancing physical activities including
sports is increasing.
 Consequent upsurge in sporting activity and intensity
of training has caused a corresponding increase in
sports injuries.
 Although many sports injuries are mild or moderate,
treatment of injured athletes often requires special
judgment and experience.
 Attending clinician should have not only special knowledge in
sports medicine but also familiar with the sport and its rules
and demands.
 Correct diagnosis, immediate treatment and effective
rehabilitation programme are prerequisites for come-back to
the sports arena.

9. Risk Factor Related to Development of Sports Injury
Intrinsic Factor
(Makeup of an individual person)
Lower Extremity Malalignment
Leg Length Discrepancy
Muscle Weakness or Imbalance
Decreased Flexibility
Joint Hyperlaxity
Female Gender
Young or Old Age
Overweight (Obesity)
Predisposing Disease
Psychological Factors
Extrinsic Factor
(All factors that affect externally on the human
body)
Training Errors
Excessive Load on the Body
Environmental Malconditions
Poor Equipment (Worn shoes, Faulty rackets)
Ineffective rules (violent play)

10. Examples of Intrinsic Factors
1. Lower Extremity
Malalignment
i. Femoral Neck Anteversion
ii. High or Low riding patella
iii. Genu Valgum or Varum
iv. Tibia Vara
v. Pes Planus or Cavus
vi. Hindfoot Varus or Valgus
vii. Forefoot Varus or Valgus
viii. Ankle hyperpronation or
hypopronation
2. Leg Length Discrepancy
3. Muscle Weakness or
Imbalance
4. Decreased Flexibility
5. Joint Hyperlaxity
6. Female Gender
7. Young or Old Age
8. Overweight (Obesity)
9. Predisposing Disease
10. Psychological Factors
i. Some studies shown athletes who
are aggressive, tense, and
compulsive have a higher risk of
injury than their relaxed peers.
ii. Tension may make muscles and
tendons tighter, increasing the risk
that they will be harmed during
workouts.

11. Examples of Extrinsic Factors
1. Training Errors
i. High Intensity or Volume
ii. Over distance
iii. Fast Progression
iv. Hill Work
v. Fatigue
vi. Non-optimal Technique
2. Excessive Load on the
Body
i. Number of Repetitions
ii. Type and speed of
movement
iii. Surface
iv. Footwear
3. Environmental
Malconditions
i. Wind
ii. Dark
iii. Heat or Cold
iv. Humidity
v. Altitude
4. Poor Equipment
i. Worn shoes, Faulty rackets
5. Ineffective rules
i. violent play

12. Prevention of Sports Injuries
 Despite advanced knowledge, modern technology and
improved skills in sports medicine, many patients fail to
return. Therefore prevention of injuries should be the major
goal for every health care professionals working in the field
of sports medicine.
 Most athletes want to lower chances of incurring an
injury while participating in their favorite sport.
 Injuries decrease the amount of time they can spend in
leisure activities, lower their fitness, downgrade
competitive performance, and can lead to long term
health problems such as arthritis.
 Sports scientists suggest that injury rates could be
reduced by 25% if athletes took appropriate
preventative action.

13. Prevention of Sports Injury
 Since many factors, extrinsic or intrinsic by nature
are involved, prevention of sports injury is a
complex problem.
 In acute sports injury, extrinsic factors play a major
role, while in overuse injuries the reasons are
more multifactorial and interaction between these
2 categories is common.
 In general terms, sports injury prevention refers to
all efforts to prevent injuries occurring in
connection with sports and physical activity.
 These efforts can be done at individual (primary
prevention), group (secondary prevention) or society
(tertiary prevention) level.

14. Primary Prevention
 Direct or indirect sports injury prevention at individual level.
 Examples:
 Precompetition Examination
 Warming up before competition & Cooling down after performance.
 Mobility and Flexibility training
 Coordination and proprioceptive training
 Sports-specific training
 Correction of alignment abnormalities in lower limb by foot orthotics
 Avoiding too fast a progression in training frequency and intensity
 Use of appropriate equipment for example properly fit protective
equipment such as pads (neck, shoulder, elbow, chest, knee, shin),
helmets, mouthpieces, face guards, protective cups, and/or
eyewear.
 Use of proper technique

15. Secondary Prevention
 Sports injury prevention at group level
 Can be done by providing group information and
education for example:
 Lectures to athletes and coaches about:
 Importance of proper warm-up and cooling down.
 Careful following of the rules (fair play).
 Known risk factors of injuries .
 Providing leaflets and information to athletes and
coaches about:
 Types of warm ups to be done.
 Risk factors of injuries.

16. Tertiary Prevention
 Sports injury prevention at society level.
 Normally it took a long time and its consequences
will not be seen until many years after strategies
was planned and put into effect.
 Example:
 Passing legislation to ban all hits to head in combat
sports such as boxing, karate and taekwondo.

17. Take Home Message
 Play safe
 Strict to rules and follow.
 Stop the activity
 If there is pain.

18. Summary
Risk Factor Related to Development of Sports Injury
Intrinsic Factor
(Makeup of an individual person)
Lower Extremity Malalignment
Leg Length Discrepancy
Muscle Weakness or Imbalance
Decreased Flexibility
Joint Hyperlaxity
Female Gender
Young or Old Age
Overweight (Obesity)
Predisposing Disease
Psychological Factors
Extrinsic Factor
(All factors that affect externally on the human
body)
Training Errors
Excessive Load on the Body
Environmental Malconditions
Poor Equipment (Worn shoes, Faulty rackets)
Ineffective rules (violent play)

19. Thank You