COMMON

SPORTS/PHYSICAL
ACTIVITIES INJURIES

1. Strain or
Sprain?

2. Strain or
Sprain?

3. Strain or
Sprain?

4. Strain or
Sprain?

5. Strain or
Sprain?

6. Fracture or
Dislocation?

7. Fracture or
Dislocation?

8. Fracture or
Dislocation?

9. Fracture or
Dislocation?

10. Fracture or
Dislocation?

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What you will learn about

in this topic:
1. Common injuries
2. Treatment of injuries
3. The effect of injury on sports
performance

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Learning objectives
By the end of this presentation you
should be able to:

Understand the different types of

sports injuries

Describe the main types of injury

found in sport

Explain how to treat a range of minor

injuries

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Common injuries
Common injuries are more
complex than minor injuries and
include:

Strains
Sprains
Fractures
Dislocation

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RICE
The RICE procedure can be used to
treat soft tissue injuries.
RICE stands for:

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Rest

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Ice

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Compression

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Elevation

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Strains
Strains are classed as soft tissue
injuries and can happen when a
muscle is twisted or wrenched.
To avoid a strain, make sure you
warm-up correctly!

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However, strains can be difficult to

avoid when an activity requires the
performer to contract and relax a
muscle quickly.

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Sprain
Sprains are damage to joints and are
also classed as soft tissue injuries.
Sprains can happen
when an ankle or a
wrist is twisted
suddenly, when a
performer lands
badly for example.

1. Strain

2. Sprain

3. Sprain

4. Strain

5. Sprain

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Fractures
Fractures are hard tissue injuries
and occur when an excessive impact
or force is put on the bone. This can
happen from a blow or a twist.
When a bone is fractured, the limb
becomes immobile and there is
extreme pain.

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The area is tender and there may be

swelling, leading to bruising.
Keeping to the rules of the game
and not tackling recklessly can
reduce the risk of this injury.

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Types of fracture
A closed/simple
fracture is when
the break of the
bone is under the
skin.

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A compound/open
fracture is when the
broken end of the bone
comes through the skin.
This can cause
complications as there is
risk of infection from
germs entering the body
where the skin is broken.

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A greenstick fracture is
when pressure or impact
buckles or bends a bone
but only partially breaks it.
This fracture is common in
the developing bones of
young children whose
bones are quite springy.

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A stress fracture is an incomplete

fracture of the bone. It is caused by
unusual, repeated stress.
As the bone withstands the constant
pressure of impact it tries to
remodel itself but fails. As the
osteoblasts become exhausted they
become unable to cope with the
demand.

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As a result, small cracks are created

in the weight-bearing bones, often
referred to as hairline cracks.
The treatment
for stress
fractures is
rest.

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Joint injuries
Tennis elbow is an
over-use injury at
the elbow and can
happen through too
much use of tendons
or playing with a
racket with the
wrong sized handle.

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Dislocation is a hard tissue injury

and occurs when a joint is moved
outside of its designed range.
They can occur at all major joints
from a forceful blow and will look
deformed and be extremely painful.
The player will also have no control
over movement in that area.

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To treat a dislocation, make the

person comfortable, leave the joint
immobilized and get medical help.
Never try to put the joint back
yourself.
Dislocations are
common in highimpact sports such as
rugby, skiing and
football.

6. Fracture

7. Dislocation

8. Fracture

9. Fracture

10. Dislocation

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Task
To make a revision aid, divide an
A4 sheet of paper into six sections
by folding it.
In each box write down a different
injury and put only the key
information about each injury on
the sheet.

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Exam questions
1. An athlete training for a
marathon suffers pain in the
lower leg as the foot impacts
the ground. Explain what type of
fracture this is, how it occurred
and what treatment should be
given.
.

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What you have learned

in this topic:
1. Common injuries
2. Treatment of injuries
3. The effect of injury on sports
performance

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Learning objectives
You should now be able to:
Understand the different types of
sports injuries

Describe the main types of injury

found in sport

Explain how to treat a range of

minor injuries