Sports injuries result from acute trauma or repetitive stress associated with athletic activities. Sports injuries can affect bones or soft tissue such as ligaments, muscles, and tendons.
Traumatic injuries account for most injuries in contact sports such as ice hockey, association football, rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football, Gaelic football and American football because of the dynamic and high collision nature of these sports. Collisions with the ground, objects, and other players are common, and unexpected dynamic forces on limbs and joints can cause injury.
Traumatic injuries can include:
- Contusion or bruise – damage to small blood vessels which causes bleeding within the tissues.
- Strain – trauma to a muscle due to overstretching and tearing of muscle fibers
- Sprain – an injury in a joint, caused by the ligament being stretched beyond its own capacity
- Wound – abrasion or puncture of the skin
- Bone fracture – break(s) in the bone
- Head injury – concussions or serious brain damage
- Spinal cord injury – damage to the central nervous system or spine
- Cramp-a strong muscle contraction that can be very painful lasting in few minutes but massaging the muscles can relieve the pain
- Overuse and repetitive stress injury problems associated with sports include:
- Runner’s knee
- Jumper’s knee
- Plantar fasciitis
- Tennis/golfer’s elbow
- Achillis Tendinosis