Sports injuries and sports accidents are physical injuries of all kinds that recreational and competitive athletes sustain while engaging in athletic pursuits. In this context, the injury pattern differs considerably from injuries that occur in everyday life, for example. In terms of all accidents, sports accidents account for 20% of all accidents. This corresponds to an annual number of approximately two million Germans. A distinction must be made between overuse injuries and acute sports injuries. While overuse injuries are a rather gradual process in which the injury is not due to a real accident event (e.g. Achilles tendonitis), acute injuries are the result of a sudden incident (e.g. a fall).
Causes
Physical therapy is especially beneficial for sports injuries. Muscle stiffness is loosened, lactate is reduced, and strains and small muscle tears are identified and treated early. The causes of a sports injury or accident can be very diverse. It should be noted that the causes of injuries in recreational athletes differ from those in competitive athletes. The injuries diagnosed in recreational athletes are often based on insufficient warming up or a condition deficit of the athlete. Overestimating one’s own athletic performance often leads to a decline in performance in the long run (e.g. endurance running, alpine skiing). The consequence is a faulty technique which can lead to serious injuries. In addition, inadequate or insufficient equipment (e.g. mountain biking) and the lack of special clothing (cold, wet, etc.) are responsible for many sports accidents. In contrast, sports injuries in competitive athletes are often due to overloading of the body and insufficient healing of an injury.
Common and typical sports injuries
Typical and common sports injuries and sports accidents include contusions and sprains (35.5%), dislocations (28.4%), and injuries to ligaments, tendons, and muscles (20.3%). Acute sports injuries are characterized by a clear event with immediate onset of pain, precise localization of pain, and the appearance of recognizable symptoms (swelling, bruising, redness, etc.). Contusions and sprains are typical consequences of a sports injury and are caused, for example, by a blow, impact or fall. In the case of a contusion, tissue is bruised, whereas sprains always affect a joint. In this case, the affected ligamentous apparatus is overstretched by excessive movement and small tears in the ligaments are the result. The resulting leakage of blood plasma into the tissue produces swelling, redness and bruising. Various types of first aid dressings. Click to enlarge. Download here to print. Strained or torn ligaments on shoulders, knees, fingers, etc. are often caused by uncontrolled movements beyond the normal range of motion. Virtually every sport has its typical injury patterns and overuse symptoms. For example, overloading individual muscle groups for hours at a time during monotonous movement sequences is pre-programmed. Depending on the type of sport, ligaments, tendons and muscles are subjected to varying degrees of stress. Injuries to the legs and feet occur particularly frequently in sports such as squash, soccer or even skiing. The rupture of the Achilles tendon, for example, causes a popping, whiplike sound. Sports whose activity preferentially involves the upper limbs, such as shoulders, arms and hands, also have an increased susceptibility to injury in this case (example: extensor tendon rupture of the fingers due to an attacking blow in volleyball).
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
Due to numerous sports and the associated stresses on bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments, a wide variety of injuries can occur. Often, the symptoms that occur in the process allow a quick conclusion to be drawn about the type of injury. A cruciate ligament tear in the knee often causes a cracking sound. A distinct swelling forms on the knee, and bruising may also be seen. The lack of joint stability makes the gait unsteady. Symptoms of a muscle fiber tear are a sudden stabbing pain and, after a short time, an extensive bruise. The affected muscles can no longer be loaded.Signs of a meniscus injury include a sharp, stabbing pain and swelling in the knee area. If the medial meniscus is injured, pain is felt during bending and twisting movements. If the gap between the upper and lower leg hurts, this indicates an outer meniscus injury. A bruise is indicated by painful swelling with a bluish discoloration. Symptoms for a shoulder contusion may present as abrasion, contusion, and bruising. The affected shoulder may have limited movement due to pain. A tibial fracture is indicated by a grinding sound, swelling, bruising and severe pain. Deformities of the lower leg can be detected in displaced bridges. An open fracture is visible externally through a soft tissue wound. Symptoms of concussion include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and headache. The affected person may have lost consciousness for a short time and complain of memory lapses.
Complications
Complications usually occur after sports injuries if the injury was inadequately treated or training was resumed too soon. During the healing phase of injured muscle fibers, connective tissue remodels into scar tissue, which is far less stretchable than muscle tissue. Too early and heavy loading leads to further tearing and bleeding, which results in renewed scarring. In the long term, this significantly restricts the performance of the muscle and can often only be restored by surgically removing the scar tissue. Extensive contusions and bruises are often accompanied by intramuscular bleeding, which if left untreated can cause chronic inflammation in the injury area. Under unfavorable circumstances, this can lead to the formation of calcium deposits that can ossify and impair mobility (myositis ossificans). If pain and restricted mobility persist for weeks, surgical intervention must be considered. Taking blood-thinning medication after a muscle contusion favors the occurrence of a compartment syndrome: Massive bleeding into the muscle can damage nerves and blood vessels, and sufficient supply to the muscle is no longer ensured. Death of muscle tissue can usually only be prevented by surgery. Complications of bone fractures can include inflammation, wound healing disorders, paralysis and sensory disturbances. In rare cases, affected individuals develop Sudeck’s disease as a late consequence, which is characterized by severe pain, sensitivity to touch, and restricted movement.
When should you see a doctor?
If a sports injury has been sustained, a doctor should always be consulted to clarify the symptoms. There may be deeper injuries that initially go unnoticed. In the long term, however, they can lead to permanent impairments. In order to avoid secondary diseases or lifelong damage, it is advisable to clarify the injuries suffered in good time. If existing complaints increase in scope and intensity, a visit to the doctor is necessary as soon as possible. If restrictions of movement, open wounds, pain or swelling occur, a doctor is needed. A diagnosis is necessary and an individual treatment plan must be drawn up. In the case of open wounds, special caution is required in severe cases it can come to a self it. This poses a potential threat to the life of the affected person. Sterile wound care is necessary to prevent blood poisoning. Competitive athletes in particular should seek consultation with a medical professional even for minor sports injuries. In case of disturbances of consciousness, circulatory failure or increasing dizziness, an emergency physician is required. Internal injuries are present that can lead to irreversible damage if left untreated. In the case of both minor and severe sports injuries, the current state of health should be checked by means of a comprehensive examination. This is the only way to exclude the possibility of long-term disorders or a decrease in physical performance in the further course.
Prevention
Sports injuries and sports accidents can be prevented in different ways. However, in doing so, one hundred percent injury prevention can never be achieved. The risk of injury is only reduced.Sports injuries are often caused by false ambition, overzealousness and overloading, overestimating one’s own abilities or inadequate or lacking material conditions. This is especially true for recreational athletes. If these components are sufficiently taken into account, the risk of bodily injury is already minimized many times over. The so-called stretching, or also as warm-up called active warming up of the musculature, is today controversial in the science. Therefore, everyone should assess for themselves whether and when a warm-up is useful for their sport (for example, gymnastics, ballet, etc.). The most effective method to protect your body from sports injuries is a sports accompanying strength training. Strength training increases their performance, the muscles protect the joints and thus reduce the susceptibility to injury. It should be noted that strength training includes the sport-specific muscle groups that are primarily loaded. However, secondary muscles should not be ignored in order to prevent muscular imbalances. For example, strong trunk muscles are necessary in almost every sport. Arms and legs, on the other hand, can only develop strength against external resistance optimally and effectively if the trunk provides them with a stable support. Through the use of strength training, in addition to building strength, the interaction of strength, endurance and coordination is achieved and, in addition to injury prevention, also contributes to increased performance.
Aftercare
Muscles are broken down by resting the affected body part after an injury. Therefore, a cautious approach is required when resuming training. The previous performance limit must first be slowly regained. Excessive stress should not be applied during the first training sessions. For muscle development after an injury, training can be done at a reduced intensity. In addition, physiotherapy is useful in many cases, in which the muscles affected by the degeneration are specifically trained. A sufficient warm-up of the muscles should always take place before the actual sport anyway. After a sports injury it is even more important and therefore should not be neglected under any circumstances. After the training session, a so-called “cool-down” can then take place, in which the muscle is still loaded for a while in the lower intensity range. This prevents an unhealthy shortening of the muscle. Depending on the location of the injury, re-injury can be prevented by wearing a supportive bandage. However, it should be noted that the support function may result in less training of the muscle. A combination of moderate training and targeted physiotherapy exercises is usually the best choice.
Here’s what you can do yourself
Sports injuries are a common phenomenon, especially among active athletes, and are easily treatable with self-help. However, a prerequisite for self-help is that if a fracture or tear of a structure is suspected, the physician should be consulted and such a diagnosis confirmed or ruled out. Sports injuries are often accompanied by pain and swelling, which should be contained as soon as possible. Cooling is an important factor in this context. Here, care should be taken not to apply ice directly to the affected area, such as a joint, to avoid superficial injury to the skin area. Elevating the joint is also helpful, as blood flow is reduced and swelling to a high degree can often be avoided in this way. Wounds should be cared for in a way that not only stops bleeding, but also ensures that there are no particles such as dirt or broken glass in them. This can speed regeneration and often significantly reduce the risk of infection in the affected area. Dressing larger wounds is important. Sparing is very significant in the context of self-help. Athletes, in particular, tend to return to training and competition too soon after sports injuries and run the risk of the old injury reappearing.
