Chapter Four

Sport injury and their management

 Type and mechanism of sport injury
• In sports, injuries happen. Sometimes they
happen by chance, sometimes by intent.
Sometimes they are difficult, even impossible, to
explain.
• But frequently there are clear patterns. And when
there are patterns, there are also opportunities
for reducing the risk of injury
 causes of sport injuries
• Poor training practice
• Improper equipment
• Lack of conditioning or insufficient warming up and
stretching
• Over use and overstress
• Improper coaching and supervision
• Environment- caused by extremes of temperature,
leading to dehydration and over heating.
• Rule and regulations of the game are not followed.
 Types of sport injuries
1. Exogenous (extrinsic )causes. External agents
like ball, stick, by opponents action.
2. Endogenous (intrinsic) causes. Related to
physical fitness of individual,(ruptured
muscle fiber, pathogenic and latent
pathological problem).
classification of injuries by tissue involved

a. Soft tissue injuries: occur to any soft tissue of

the body. Such as muscle, tendons,
ligaments, cartilage, skin, nerves and blood
vessels.
b. Hard tissue injuries: injuries to the skeletal
system
 classification of injuries by severity or
duration
A. Acute injuries: injuries occur suddenly with a single
application of force
example
 Fracture- a crack, break or shattering of a bone.
 Contusion- caused by a direct blow, which cause swelling
and bleeding in muscles and other tissue.
 Strain- stretch or tear of a muscle or tendon(connect
muscle to bone).
 Sprain- stretch or tear of ligament (connects bone to bone).
 Abrasion- caused by superficial damage to the skin, no
deeper than epidermis. are three types
 A first degree abrasion: involves only epidermal injury.
 Cont…
 A second degree abrasion: involves the
epidermis as well as the dermis and may bleed
slightly.
 A third degree abrasion: involves damage to
the subcutaneous layer and the skin .
 Laceration cute in the skin that is usually deep
enough to requires stitches.
 Cont…
b. Chronic (over use) injuries- develop over time
from repeated stress or micro trauma.
Are:
 Stress fracture- tiny cracks in the bones
caused by repetitive over loading.
 Tendinitis- inflammation of the tendon
caused by repetitive stretching.
 Injury may be open or closed
Closed injury: a soft tissue damage to underlying
tissue with out a break in the skin or mucous
membrane involved.eg
Bruises, contusion, strain, sprain, dislocation, and
cartilage damage.
Occurs when a blunt object strikes against the body with
sufficient force crushes the tissue beneath the skin.
Small blood vessels in the tissue usually tear and varying
amount of blood and plasma leak in to the wound and
produce swelling and pain.
 Cont…
open injury- a soft tissue damage where there is a
break in the skin or the mucous membrane.
Types of open wound :
Abrasion- outer layer of protective skin is damage
However, the wound does not penetrate completely
through the skin.
 Bleeding is limited
 Is extremely painful.
 Danger of contamination and infection exists.
 Cont…
Incision- is a cut . Occurs when the body tissue is
cut on knives, rough edge of metals that leave
smooth wounds.
• Bleeding may be rapid.
• Deep cuts may damage muscles, tendons and
nerves.
Laceration- irregular or blunt breaking or tearing
of soft tissue , caused when great force is
exerted against the body.
 Cont…
Punctures- caused by puncture producing objects
such as, bullets and pointed objects like pins and
splinters.
 External bleeding is limited b/c the wound is small.
 Difficult to clean and/are prone to infection.
 The trainer should never attempt to remove an
impaled object.
Avulsion- an injury in which a piece of skin with
varying portion of subcutaneous tissue or muscle is
ether torn loose (separated) completely or left
hanging as a flap.
 A systematic approach to sports injury
prevention
• Injury prevention in sport has numerous
benefits. These include greater health of the
individual; longevity in the activity; and
reduced costs to the individual, the sport, the
health care system, and society.
• Prevention can be grouped into three broad
categories of primary, secondary, and tertiary
prevention
 Prevention…..
• primary prevention involves the avoidance of injury
(e.g., ankle braces being worn by an entire team,
even those with no history of previous ankle
sprains).
• secondary prevention which involves appropriate
early diagnosis and treatment once an injury has
occurred.
The aim here is to ensure that the injury is optimally
cared for to limit the development of disability, and is
what most people think of as treatment (e.g., early
RICE treatment of an ankle sprain).
 Prevention….
• tertiary prevention is the focus on
rehabilitation to reduce and/or correct an
existing disability attributed to an underlying
disease; what most people think of as
rehabilitation .
(e.g., in the case of a patient who has had an
ankle sprain, this would involve balance board
exercises and wearing an ankle brace while
gradually returning to sport).
 Musculoskeletal Disorders
• are injuries and disorders that affect the
human body's movement or musculoskeletal
system (i.e. muscles, tendons, ligaments,
nerves, discs, blood vessels, etc.). Common
musculoskeletal disorders include: Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome. Tendonitis.
• Musculoskeletal pain affects bones, joints,
ligaments, tendons or muscles. An injury such
as a fracture may cause sudden, severe pain
 Cervical Spine Injuries (CSI)
• Cervical spine injury (CSI) is a serious condition
which may cause permanent disability or even
death.
• The cervical spine consists of seven vertebrae C1 –
C7 and is a relatively complex anatomical structure.
• The atlas (C1) and the axis (C2) together with the
occiput (C0) comprise the upper cervical spine
whereas vertebrae C3 to C7 comprise the sub axial
or lower cervical spine. The atlas, the first cervical
vertebra supports the head
• The axis is the pivot on which the atlas rotates
Cervical spine injury (CSI) classification
• efficient diagnosis and management of CSIs is
necessary to avoid further neurological
deterioration. Assessment of spinal stability is
essential as the choice of treatment in each
specific type of CSI is based on whether the
injury is considered stable or not.
 1. Cranio vertebral junction (CVJ) injuries
• Craniovertebral junction (CVJ) refers to osseous structures
consisting of the occipital bone surrounding the foramen
magnum, the atlas and the axis.
• The key ligaments and membranes in the area are the alar
ligaments, the cruciform ligament, the apical ligament, the
atlanto axial accessory ligament, the capsular joints, the
tectorial membrane, and the anterior and posterior
atlanto-occipital membrane .
• Ligaments and membranes in CVJ injuries have often been
recognized but only recently (due to magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) and the increase in the knowledge of
anatomical and biomechanical characteristics in the CVJ
area) .
 2. Occipital condyle (C0) fractures
• Occipital condyle fractures are relatively rare
injuries. They are usually caused by high-energy
trauma .
• They are difficult to identify in plain radiographs
alone. However, due to the widespread use of CT
in trauma evaluation, these injuries are
encountered more frequently nowadays
 3. Atlas (C1) fractures
• Atlas fractures account for about 9-11% of all
cervical fractures and they often occur in
combination with axis (C2) fractures
 4. Axis (C2) fractures
• Fractures to the axis (C2) are the most
common CSIs. They account for approximately
20% of all cervical spine fractures and their
incidence is especially high in older
populations . Axis fractures can be divided into
three distinct injury patterns: odontoid
fractures, hangman´s fractures and fractures
of the body of the axis involving all other
injuries to the C2 vertebra
 5. C3-C7 fractures
• Currently there is no universally accepted
classification system for sub axial cervical
spine fractures. In 1982, Allen and Ferguson
proposed their classification based on the
mechanism of injury including: compressive
flexion, vertical compression, distractive
flexion, compressive extension, distractive
extension, and lateral flexion (Allen, Ferguson
et al. 1982).
Thoracic and Lumbar Spine injuries
• Anatomy of the Spine
• Five segments or divisions
• C/T/L/S/C
• Made up of:
– 7 cervical
– 12 thoracic
– 5 lumbar
– 5 sacral
– 4 coccygeal
 Cont…
• Common site of injury
• Most between T11 to L2
 What is a head injury?
• A head injury is any sort of injury to your brain,
skull, or scalp.
• This can range from a mild bump or bruise to a
traumatic brain injury.
• Common head injuries include concussions,
skull fractures, and scalp wounds.
• The consequences and treatments vary greatly,
depending on what caused your head injury
and how severe it is.
 Head injuries….
• Head injuries may be either closed or open.
• A closed head injury is any injury that doesn’t
break your skull.
• An open (penetrating) head injury is one in
which something breaks your scalp and skull
and enters your brain.
 What causes a head injury?
• In general, head injuries can be divided into
two categories based on what causes them.
They can either be head injuries due to blows
to the head or head injuries due to shaking.
• Head injuries caused by shaking are most
common in infants and small children, but
they can occur any time you experience
violent shaking.
 Head injuries…
• Head injuries caused by a blow to the head are
usually associated with:
• motor vehicle accidents
• falls
• physical assaults
• sports-related accidents
• In most cases, your skull will protect your brain
from serious harm. However, injuries severe
enough to cause head injury can also be
associated with injuries to the spine.
What are the major types of head injuries?

• Hematoma
• A hematoma is a collection, or clotting, of
blood outside the blood vessels. It can be very
serious if a hematoma occurs in the brain. The
clotting can lead to pressure building up inside
your skull.
• This can cause you to lose consciousness or
result in permanent brain damage.
 Types of head injuries….
• Hemorrhage
• A hemorrhage is uncontrolled bleeding. There
can be bleeding in the space around your brain,
called subarachnoid hemorrhage, or bleeding
within your brain tissue, called intracerebral
hemorrhage.
• Subarachnoid hemorrhages often cause
headaches and vomiting. The severity of
intracerebral hemorrhages depends on how
much bleeding there is, but over time any
amount of blood can cause pressure buildup.
 Types of head injuries….
• Concussion
• A concussion occurs when the impact on the head
is severe enough to cause brain injury.
• It’s thought to be the result of the brain hitting
against the hard walls of your skull or the forces of
sudden acceleration and deceleration.
• Generally speaking, the loss of function associated
with a concussion is temporary.
• However, repeated concussions can eventually lead
to permanent damage.
 Types of head injuries…
• Edema
• Any brain injury can lead to edema, or swelling.
• Many injuries cause swelling of the surrounding
tissues, but it’s more serious when it occurs in
your brain.
• Your skull can’t stretch to accommodate the
swelling.
• This leads to pressure buildup in your brain,
causing your brain to press against your skull.
 Types of Head injuries…
• Skull fracture
• The skull consists of 22 bones that come together
via cranial sutures.
• The skull hardens and fuses through development
to protect the brain.
• A skull fracture is any break in the cranial bones.
• There are many types of skull fractures, but only
one major cause: an impact or a blow to the head
that’s strong enough to break the bone.
• An injury to the brain can also accompany the
fracture, but that’s not always the case.
 Types of head injuries…
• Diffuse axonal injury
• A diffuse axonal injury (sheer injury) is an injury to the
brain that doesn’t cause bleeding but does damage
the brain cells.
• The damage to the brain cells results in them not
being able to function.
• It can also result in swelling, causing more damage.
• Though it isn’t as outwardly visible as other forms of
brain injury, a diffuse axonal injury is one of the most
dangerous types of head injuries.
• It can lead to permanent brain damage and even
death.
What are the symptoms of a head injury?
• Your head has more blood vessels than any
other part of your body, so bleeding on the
surface of your brain or within your brain is a
serious concern in head injuries.
• However, not all head injuries cause bleeding.
• It’s important to be aware of other symptoms to
watch out for.
• Many symptoms of serious brain injury won’t
appear right away. You should always continue
to monitor your symptoms for several days after
you injure your head.
 Symptoms of head injuries…
• Common symptoms of a minor head injury
include:
• a headache
• lightheadedness
• a spinning sensation
• mild confusion
• nausea
• temporary ringing in the ears
 Symptoms…..
• The symptoms of a severe head injury include many of the symptoms of
minor head injuries. They can also include:
• a loss of consciousness
• seizures
• vomiting
• balance or coordination problems
• serious disorientation
• an inability to focus the eyes
• abnormal eye movements
• a loss of muscle control
• a persistent or worsening headache
• memory loss
• changes in mood
• leaking of clear fluid from the ear or the nose
 Articular Cartilage Injuries
• What is articular cartilage?
• Articular cartilage is the white shiny covering over
the ends of the bones in a joint
• it is the substance which makes a joint a joint,
rather than two pieces of bone rubbing together.
Articular cartilage has unique mechanical
properties, being very low friction, highly shock
absorbing, and anaesthetic (it has no nerves).
There is no colloquial term for articular cartilage in
English, but it is known as ‘soft bone’ in Chinese.
 What is articular cartilage?
• A joint is the area where the ends of two or more
bones join one another.
• For instance, the knee is the joint where the shinbone
(tibia), thighbone (femur), and kneecap (patella) all
come together.
• The most common type of joint is known as a synovial
joint, which allows for a lot of movement. Synovial
joints include the knee, elbow, hip, ankle, and wrist.
• The bones that meet at synovial joints are covered
with a thin layer of cartilage known as articular
cartilage. (Articular simply means “having to do with
joints.”)
 Cont…
• Articular cartilage forms a smooth, durable
covering (almost the consistency of linoleum)
at the end of each bone in the joint.
• Fluid from within the synovial joints lubricates
this cartilage, allowing the opposing bones to
slide over one another—for instance when the
knee or elbow bends—smoothly and with
little friction.
 Articular…
• Articular cartilage injuries most frequently
occur in the knee, but they may also involve
the hip, ankle, shoulder, and ankle. In many
cases, the damage is limited to the thin layer
of articular cartilage at the end of a bone,
which is referred to as a chondral injury or
chondral defect.
 How do articular cartilage injuries occur?

• While articular cartilage is strong, as well as

capable of bearing heavy loads and
withstanding decades of use, it can become
damaged by injury or overuse.
 Cont…
 Articular cartilage injuries can result from a number of causes,
including:
• Forceful impacts to the joint as a result of sports injuries or a
fall
• Repetitive smaller impacts to the joint
• Twisting the joint while it bears weight, for instance twisting
the knee while the foot is planted
• Progressive wear and tear, usually over several decades of use
• Poor alignment of joints due to a congenital (meaning “at-
birth”) abnormality or previous injury
• Articular cartilage injuries most frequently occur in the knee,
but they may also involve the hip, ankle, shoulder, and ankle.
 What are the symptoms of articular cartilage injuries?

 Articular injuries can cause a number of symptoms,

including:
• Pain and/or swelling in the joint
• A “catching” feeling when bending or moving the joint
• A crackling, grating, or popping sound and sensation that
occurs when bending or moving the joint
• Joint locking (an inability to fully extend or bend the joint)
• Feeling that the joint may give way or is unstable
• Stiffness
• Reduced range of motion
• Some articular injuries do not cause any symptoms.
 How are articular cartilage injuries diagnosed?
• Diagnosing cartilage injuries and damage usually
entails obtaining a medical history, performing a
physical exam, and ordering one or more
diagnostic tests.
• Imaging studies, including a weight-bearing X-
ray and/or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
study, may also be needed. These tests allow a
doctor to detect and determine the severity of
any damage to the articular cartilage, underlying
bone, and surrounding tissues and ligaments.
How are articular cartilage injuries treated?

• Several treatments and therapies are

available, including nonsurgical and surgical
options.
• The choice of treatment depends on several
factors, including age and overall health,
physical activity level, desired post-treatment
activities, and the type and severity of the
articular cartilage injury.
 soft tissue injury
• A soft tissue injury is any injury that creates
damage to any muscle, ligament, tendon or
combination of the above. Soft tissue injuries have
many names, including:
• Sprain (damage to a ligament or a tendon),
• Strain (damage to a muscle),
• Contusions (breaking the skin - cut/graze/ burn)
• Hematoma (a bruise-blood vessel under skin break)
 Cont… soft tissue
• Soft tissue injuries can also be from overuse of
a particular part of the body
• Symptoms:
• Pain
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Loss of function
 Cont..
• Soft tissue injuries are the most common injury type
• Most problems come from actual physical damage
to mechanical structures which will heal
• Treatment methods are often specific to a
condition, not a patient (what works for one person
will likely work for another)
• Problems rarely become long term (chronic) but
there are cases which can only be managed, not cured
• Simple home treatments will help
• Most problems resolve in less than six weeks, very
rarely lasting longer than 12
 Cont…
• Healing Phases:
• Inflammatory Response Phase: Days one to four, post-
injury
• Repair Phase: Often called the fibroblastic phase.
Starts in the inflammatory phase but is normally said to
be from day four up to six weeks (dependent on cause
and severity of injury)
• Re-modelling Phase: Often called the maturation
phase. About six weeks onwards (can last for two to
three years dependent on injury
INFECTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH SPORTS
• Infections in athletes may be classified into
several categories that vary considerably in
their specific relation to sports participation.
These include:
1) sports-associated;
2) lifestyle-associated;
3) travel-associated; and
4) general population-related
 1. Sports-Associated Infections or Complications
• These infections or complications result directly from participation in
sports.
• a. Skin infections are especially common. These include abrasions,
cellulitis, and furuncles due to skin damage. Fungal infections, such as
tinea and other dermatophytes, affect the inter-triginous areas between
the toes (“athlete’s foot”) and the crural(lower leg) areas. Blisters(fluid
filled sac on epidermis) are subject to secondary infections.
• b. Wound infections may occur from puncture wounds (such as from
spikes), lacerations, or other deep tissue injuries.
• c. The danger of tetanus must always be considered when there is a
deep puncture wound.
• d. Decreased immunity has been associated with intensive training. This
may render the athlete more susceptible to a wide variety of infections,
especially viral.
• e. Worsening or complications of infections may occur if physical activity
persists in the face of an infectious process, particularly viral ones.
Examples include myocarditis, pericarditis, and toxic shock with sepsis.
 2. Infections Associated with Lifestyle
• are those to which the athlete becomes predisposed
because of participation in sports.
a. Group living situations such as those associated with
team membership, travel and housing, or living in an
athletes’ village with athletes from many regions,
facilitate the spread of infections by droplets,
contact, and common-source outbreaks (e.g. food).
b. Promiscuous behavior is facilitated by travel
opportunities and group living, and peer pressure
increases the risk of exposure to many sexually-
transmitted diseases.
 3. Travel-Associated Infections
• Travel markedly increases the possibility of
contact with different infectious agents that are
more prevalent in the new geographic locale.
• In addition, contact with other athletes and
individuals from throughout the world at major
athletic meetings exposes the athlete to many
unfamiliar organisms.
• In either case, the athlete likely lacks adequate
immunity to most of these “new” pathogens.
 4. General Population Related Infections

• The athlete is at least as susceptible, if not

more so, to any pathogen that is present in
the community at any given time.
• However, even a “minor” infection can impair
the effectiveness of an athlete who is
expected to function at peak efficiency.
 5. Management
• The circumstances that exist at the time as well as
the potential seriousness of the illness will
determine the urgency with which diagnosis and
treatment will be undertaken.
• If a critical competition is upcoming, there is
usually a tendency to undertake a much more
aggressive approach to diagnosis, and to initiate
empiric therapy sooner.
 Common Dental Injuries In Athletes
• With the increased popularity of contact sports
and motivation to participate at an early age,
dental injuries are the most common form of
facial injury incurred during participation in
sports; the role of the dental profession in
preventing dental and other facial sporting
injuries has become more significant .
 INCIDENCE AND EPIDEMIOLOGY:
• There are a variety of popular dental injury figures
that run through most sports.
These numbers are as follows:-
 In men, nearly twice as many injuries occur as in
women .
 A single tooth is part of most dental injuries .
 The 4 maxillary incisor teeth cause 80% of all dental
injuries
 Injuries to the teeth on the left hand are marginally
greater .
 There is a high rate of repeated incidents
 Common dental….
• Dental and facial injuries are of special concern
because they do not heal, unlike lacerations or
fractures, and therefore require permanent
artificial or prosthodontics replacement (filling,
crown, implant or denture) .
• During sports events, players, coaches, athletic
directors, athletic trainers, parents, and members
of the dental community should be mindful of the
risks of dental trauma .
 SPORTS – RELATED INJURIES
1. FRACTURES
Facial bone fractures create a more complicated
issue. The zygoma is the most common site of
bony injury (cheekbone) .
Approximately 10% of the maxillofacial fractures
seen in sports accidents, arising from direct
blunt trauma from a fall, elbow, or fist, account
for zygoma fractures . Crown fractures (79%) are
the most common form of dental fracture.
 Sport related …
2. TEMPOROMANDIBULAR INJURIES
Most hits to the mandible may not lead to
fractures, but it is possible to transfer excessive
force to the temporomandibular disc and
supporting tissues that can result in permanent
injury.
In both moderate and severe trauma, to the degree
that the retrodiscal tissues are squeezed, the
condyle may be pushed posteriorly.
 Sport related…
3.TOOTH INTRUSION
Tooth intrusion occurs when, because of an axially
guided effect, the tooth has been pushed into the
alveolar process .
This is the most significant type of injury due to
displacement. In 96% of invasive displacements,
pulpal necrosis occurs and is more likely to occur
in teeth with completely formed roots
 Sport related…
4. TOOTH EXTRUSION:
The tooth is partly moved by the trauma out of the
socket. It is normally displaced by the palate. Radio
graphically, at the end of the socket, the tooth appears
dislocated and empty .
5. CONCUSSION
Concussion to the tooth is an injury to tissues that
support percussion tenderness due to inflammation
but no mobility . This is considered a mild injury, and
recovery typically includes non steroidal anti-
inflammatory drug (NSAID) pain relief, soft diet, and
referral to a dentist.
 Treatment and rehabilitation of sport injury

 TREATING SPORTS INJURIES

A specially-trained physical therapist will complete a
comprehensive evaluation looking not only at the
injury at hand, but also taking into consideration the
underlying cause of the injury and the given sports
demands.
Sports rehabilitation treats a variety of conditions
including
 Treatment and rehabli…
 SPORTS REHABILITATION
Principles are the foundation upon which
rehabilitation is based. Here are seven principles
of rehabilitation, which can be remembered by
the mnemonic: ATC IS IT
 Sport rehabilitation…
• A: Avoid aggravation. Therapeutic exercise, if
administered incorrectly or without good judgment,
has the potential to exacerbate the injury, that is,
make it worse. The primary concern of the
therapeutic exercise program is to advance the
injured individual gradually and steadily and to keep
setbacks to a minimum.
• T: Timing. The sooner patients can begin the
exercise portion of the rehabilitation program, the
sooner they can return to full activity. Following
injury, rest is sometimes necessary, but too much
rest can actually be detrimental to recovery.
 Sport rehabilitation….
• C: Compliance. Without a compliant patient, the rehabilitation
program will not be successful. To ensure compliance, it is
important to inform the patient of the content of the program
and the expected course of rehabilitation. Patients are more
compliant when they are better aware of the program they
will be following, the work they will have to do, and the
components of the rehabilitation process.
• I: Individualization. Each person responds differently to an
injury and to the subsequent rehabilitation program.
Expecting a patient to progress in the same way as the last
patient you had with a similar injury will be frustrating for
both you and the patient. It is first necessary to recognize that
each person is different.
 Sport rehabilitation…
• S: Specific sequencing. follow a specific sequence of events. This
specific sequence is determined by the body's physiological healing
response and is briefly addressed in the next section of this
chapter.
• I: Intensity. The intensity level of the therapeutic exercise program
must challenge the patient and the injured area but at the same
time must not cause aggravation. Knowing when to increase
intensity without overtaxing the injury requires observation of the
patient's response and consideration of the healing process.
• T: Total patient. You must consider the total patient in the
rehabilitation process. It is important for the unaffected areas of
the body to stay finely tuned. This means keeping the
cardiovascular system at a preinjury level and maintaining range of
motion, strength, coordination, and muscle endurance of the
uninjured limbs and joints.
 STAGES OF SPORTS REHABILITATION
• There are 3 recognized stages of rehabilitation and these are:
1. Early-stage rehabilitation is gentle exercise allowing for the
damaged tissue to heal. This stage is often rushed and will
result in poor quality healing and will be prone to re-injury.
2. Mid-stage rehabilitation involves progressively loading the
muscles/tendons/bones or ligaments to develop tensile
strength producing a healed tissue that will be able to
withstand the stresses and strains of everyday life and
exercise.
3. Late – the final stage (late) of rehabilitation is where the
tissue adapts and is stressed using functional exercises and
drills to ensure the body is ready to return to play.
 RESTORING MUSCLE STRENGTH
• Restoring your muscles back to normal strength
levels is an important principle of sports
rehabilitation.
• The first phase of rehabilitation is to progressively
load the damaged (pathological) tissue (e.g.
ligament, tendon or muscle) to restore its strength
(often referred to as tensile strength).
 Restoring…
• It is strongly advised to listen to your body and its
reaction to exercise.
 Lower leg & ankle exercises
 Knee exercises & rehabilitation
 Hip & groin exercises
 Shoulder exercises
 Wrist & hand exercises
 Core strengthening
 Pilates exercises for sport
 SPORTS REHABILITATION TREATMENTS
• The latest usage of most effective therapies to help
overcome any injury facing, including:
 Casting and splinting of fractures: Depending on your injury,
a cast or a splint might be the best way to support and
protect injured bones, ligaments, tendons and tissues.
 Dry needling: A trained specialist will insert a thin needle
into your muscle to stimulate muscle tissue, reduce pain and
boost muscle function.
 EMG/nerve conduction studies: We use this test to find the
cause of nerve pain such as pinched nerves or carpal tunnel
syndrome. This helps us determine the best treatment.
 Sport rehabilitation t….
 Gait analysis: Your pattern of running or walking is called your
“gait” and is unique to you. Some injuries can affect your gait.
Walking or running in a certain way can also cause injuries. We
use video analysis to help identify what’s causing these
problems and help you heal.
 Knee osteoarthritis and cartilage preservation treatment: If
you’re experiencing cartilage problems, we can use hyaluronic
acid to relieve pain and help strengthen cartilage. This is a way
to treat knee osteoarthritis without steroids, which can make
cartilage weaker over time.
 Radiofrequency ablation: This procedure can help eliminate
back and neck pain by dulling nerve fibers that carry pain
signals to the brain.
 BENEFITS
Specific physical therapy techniques vary dependent on the
particular injury and level of activity the athlete is working towards.
Some of the benefits include:
• Functional baseline testing
• Decreased soft tissue inflammation
• Relief of spasms
• Improved tissue healing
• Increased balance and coordination

• Personalize exercise prescription to improve mobility

• Regaining lost strength
• Targeted sport-specific exercise to return to pre-injury function
• Preparation to avoid recurrent injuries
 CORE MUSCLES
Rectus Abdominus

is the most well-known of the core

muscles.

• Responsible for:
• spinal flexion (forward bend)
• lateral flexion (side bend)
• forceful exhalation, which is achieved by
compressing the abdominal cavity to drive air
out of the lungs.
 Core muscle…
Obliques

We have 3 sets of obliques

(internal, transverse, and external)

• Responsible for:
• spinal rotation
• lateral flexion
• forceful exhalation.
 Core muscle…
Erector Spinae
The erector spinae is the collective term
used to describe the eight muscles that run
up either side of your spine from the base
of your sacrum to the base of your skull.

Responsible for:
• spinal extension (back bend)
• lateral flexion
• maintaining an upright position.
 Core muscle…
Transverse Abdominus
• TVA for short, is a thin, wide muscle
that runs horizontally around your
abdominal cavity.

Responsible for:
• creating intra-abdominal pressure which helps to
support the spine from within.
• Performing this action (engaging the TVA)
voluntarily during exercise is commonly called
bracing.
 Core muscle…
Quadratus Lumborum
QL for short, is a deep muscle that
runs from your bottom ribs and first
to fifth lumbar vertebrae to the top of
your pelvis.

Responsible for:
• Extending
• stabilizing the lower spine
• lateral flexion.
 Taping and Bracing
• Taping is the traditional method used by athletic
trainers to treat ankle injuries. In this method, ankle
tape is simply wrapped snugly around the ankle joint.
• Athletic taping and bracing can help in the

prevention of injury and facilitate return to play.

• Reduces the risk of re-injury.
• Can improve proprioceptive ability.
• Reduces the incidence and severity of ankle
injuries, especially in athletes with previous injuries.
 Bracing

• Athletes should complete a supervised

rehabilitation program before returning to
competition.
• Taping or bracing should be worn for the
duration of the rehab program.
• A combination of taping/bracing and a
rehabilitation program is the optimal way to
recover from injuries.
 Taping products
Underwrap helps prevent skin irritation and rashes.
Tape adherent
Tape remover
Gauze pads / foam
Elastowrap
 Preparation:

• Tape for the individual injury.

• Ask the athlete about the injury and whether they have
seen a physio or doctor.
• What was the outcome?
• Do they have a preferred way of taping?
• Clean skin, remove sweat and oil.
• Ask athlete whether they have been taped before? Did
they have an allergic recreation to tape?
• Use appropriate size tape for the joint.
 Considerations
Post-taping checks
• Impaired circulation.
• Impaired sensation.
• Restriction of movement.

Removing tape
• Use of adhesive solvent.
• Application of pressure and pull tape back
on itself.