Minor Sports Injuries and More Serious Sports Injuries

It is convenient to consider sports injuries in two main groups:

(1) Minor injuries, in which there is no real damage to the tissues, such as strains of muscles and tendons; The reactions of the tissues to trivial injuries are often obscure and difficult to assess; in general they are those of a mild, localized inflammation, and pain and stiffness are the main symptoms. Many of the injuries are caused by over-use of the affected part, and clear up with rest; some require support by strapping or bandaging, especially when training is resumed. If more specific treatment is necessary it follows the lines suggested for the more serious injuries.

(2) More serious injuries, in which there is actual destruction of some of the tissues, such as muscle tears and sprains of ligaments. Three main changes occur in the tissues when they are more seriously injured: loss of substance or continuity, rupturing of some of the small blood vessels and localized inflammation.

When some part of a structure is torn or crushed (as by a blow), the small blood vessels of the injured area are ruptured, and bleed into the tissues. The blood seeps between the various tissue layers; its spread is aided by the action of the muscles, the effect of gravity, and the pressure of the membranous coverings. This is the reason why braising often appears in areas which are some distance from the injured part. Soon after the injury the capillaries constrict and the blood clots. The blood then consists of a jelly-like substance and a fluid part (the plasma, which has lost certain elements concerned in the clotting process). The clot seals off the ends of the ruptured vessels, and links the torn tissue fibers together. Special connective tissue cells, known as fibroblasts, grow into the links and eventually repair the damage. The fluid part of the escaped blood is drained away by the lymphatics, and eventually returns to the general circulation.

At the same time as these changes occur the undamaged capillaries in the neighborhood of the injury dilate, so that they hold more blood than usual. Their walls become more porous, and a considerable amount of sticky blood fluid (plasma) and a large number of white corpuscles pass through them into the tissues to mingle with the blood from the damaged vessels. The free blood fluid is known as inflammatory exudates.

These changes are concerned with repair and healing. The inflammatory exudates stimulate the formation and growth of the fibroblast repair cells. The white corpuscles act as scavengers and remove the tissue cells which have been destroyed; they also deal with the blood clot in the same way. The signs of these changes are local heat, redness, swelling and pain. The heat and redness are caused by the extra amount of blood in the arterioles and capillaries of the injured area. The swelling is due partly to the dilation of the capillaries and partly to the accumulation of fluid in the tissues. The pain is either the result of some of the nerves being involved in the injury or of their being compressed by the distended tissues.

The Staleness after Sports Training and Personal Training Resume

How much sports training are necessary? The answer is simple: the maximum amount in relation to the game or event. Correct sports training cannot reduce the efficiency of any player, and it does not cause staleness, as is sometimes thought. Staleness is the bogey of all trainers and players. The player feels that his muscles are heavy, and his performance loses its edge; often he sums this up by saying that he seems to have no snap in his body.

Staleness is probably caused by psychological factors, although it is not always easy to find the exact source of the trouble. Some factors which are worth considering in this respect are given below:

(1) Has the sports training routine become monotonous? How often has it been varied?

(2) Is the player happy at home? Does he have regular and sound meals?

(3) Is the player completely fit? Has he contracted an illness which has not been diagnosed?

(4) Has the player an injury which he is trying to hide?

(5) Is the player mentally and physically equipped for the game or event?

(6) Is there complete harmony among the players? Is the team losing more matches than it is winning?

(7) Is the player unpopular with a section of the crowd?

When a muscle or tendon has been injured the structures are put through a full range of active or resisted movement, absence of pain (or slight pain on the final degrees of resisted movement) indicates that treatment can be discontinued and training started.

Before an injured player is allowed to resume sports training the damaged structures must be thoroughly tested. This involves both specific tests of ligaments and muscles and functional tests. If a ligament has been injured the structures are put on the stretch by passive movements, pain at the beginning or middle part of the movement indicates that further treatment is necessary, and training cannot be resumed. If pain is not experienced, or is apparent only when the structures fully stretched, training can be resumed and treatment discontinued.

When sports training are resumed the injured structures should be supported by some form of strapping, such as zinc oxide plaster, elastoplast, or a combination of both forms of strapping. The strapping must be applied carefully, without folds or creases; this is particularly important after injuries of the ankle and foot. An indifferently applied ankle or foot support can easily cause soreness or blistering of the skin.

To protect the part the player automatically holds his foot in a different position from normal; this alters the co-ordination of the part and may result in injury.

At first sports training should be relatively light. It should be increased gradually until finally the player is practicing all the skills and basic movements of the game.

The injured part should be examined the day after training to check for any-recurrence of injury; this practice should be continued over several sports training sessions. Whenever possible the injured structures should be compared with the corresponding sound tissues. Points to observe on examination are: swelling, pain on palpation and movement, and undue warmth at the site of injury.

Three Types of Sports Training and the Factors in Reducing the Incidence of Sports Injury

Sports training increases body endurance, strength, speed and efficiency. Players who have not trained to their full capacity are liable to sustain sport injuries during play, because fatigue or imperfect co-ordination lead to faulty movements.

Sports training may be divided into (1) Endurance training, (2) Strength or power training and (3) Skill training. These are interrelated, and it is often possible to carry them out simultaneously.

Endurance training

Endurance training aims at developing the efficiency of the heart and lungs, so that the blood and oxygen supply to the working muscles is increased. This facilitates the functioning of the muscles and reduces body fatigue and incidence of sports injury. The training consists of (1) General rhythmical exercises, (2) Running and skipping, (3) Minor team games, (4) Circuit training and (5) High repetition lifts with low weights. It should also include the types, of movements which are related to specific forms of sport, e.g. starting, stopping and direction-changing movements would feature in the endurance training program of a rugby, hockey or soccer player.

Strength or power training

Strength or power training is necessary to prepare the player for the “expulsive effort”, e.g. moving quickly into the open space or racing for a loose ball.

Power training includes (1) Strengthening exercises, (2) Sprinting and (3) Low repetition lifts with heavy weights. All parts of the body should be exercised, and it is most important that the upper extremity should not be neglected. Press-ups, pull-ups, hand-stand press-ups, weight-and-pulley exercises, and activities such as Wrist wrestle are particularly useful. Proof of the importance of developing the muscles of the upper extremity can be seen when one looks at the international sprinter; the arms and shoulder-girdle are developed in a similar degree to the lower limbs.

Skill training

Skill is a vital factor in reducing the incidence of sports injury, and the player must spend many hours in practicing the individual skills of his game. For example, the tennis player should practice the service, smash, forehand and backhand strokes, and be able to recover quickly; the soccer player should practice trapping, dribbling, swerving, turning, kicking the moving ball, timing the tackle, quick direction changing and heading; he must be able to use each foot with equal skill, and swerve or turn to left or right with ease.