Sports Injuries

Overview :

Adults are less likely to suffer sports injuries than children, whose vulnerability is heightened by immature reflexes, an inability to recognize and evaluate risks, and underdeveloped coordination.

In 2002, about 20.3 million Americans suffered a sports injury. Of those, 53% were minor enough to be self-treated or left untreated. However, about 10 million Americans annually receive medical attention for their sports-related injuries. That equates to almost 26 per 1,000 people. The highest rate is among children age five to 14 years old (59.3 per 1,000 people). As many as 20% of children who play sports get hurt, and about 25% of their injuries are classified as serious. Boys aged 12 to 17 are the highest risk group. More than 775,000 boys and girls under age 14 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries.

Injury rates are highest for athletes who participate in contact sports, but the most serious injuries are associated with individual activities. Between one-half and two-thirds of childhood sports injuries occur during practice, or in the course of unorganized athletic activity.

Baseball and softball are the leading causes of sports-related facial trauma in the United States, with 68% of these injuries caused by contact with the ball rather than player-player collision or being hit by a swung bat.

Types of sports injuries

About 95% of sports injuries are minor soft tissue traumas.

The most common sports injury is a bruise (contusion). It is caused when blood collects at the site of an injury and discolors the skin.

Sprains account for one-third of all sports injuries. A sprain is a partial or complete tear of a ligament, a strong band of tissue that connects bones to one another and stabilizes joints.

A strain is a partial or complete tear of:

• muscle (tissue composed of cells that enable the body to move)
• tendon (strong connective tissue that links muscles to bones)

Inflammation of a tendon (tendinitis) and inflammation of one of the fluid-filled sacs that allow tendons to move easily over bones (bursitis) usually result from minor stresses that repeatedly aggravate the same part of the body. These conditions often occur at the same time.

SKELETAL INJURIES. Fractures account for 5-6% of all sports injuries. The bones of the arms and legs are most apt to be broken. Sports activities rarely involve fractures of the spine or skull. The bones of the legs and feet are most susceptible to stress fractures, which occur when muscle strains or contractions make bones bend. Stress fractures are especially common in ballet dancers, long-distance runners, and in people whose bones are thin.

Shin splints are characterized by soreness and slight swelling of the front, inside, and back of the lower leg, and by sharp pain that develops while exercising and gradually intensifies. Shin splints are caused by overuse or by stress fractures that result from the repeated foot pounding associated with activities such as aerobics, long-distance running, basketball, and volleyball.

A compartment syndrome is a potentially debilitating condition in which the muscles of the lower leg grow too large to be contained within membranes that enclose them. This condition is characterized by numbness and tingling. Untreated compartment syndrome can result in long-term loss of function.

BRAIN INJURIES. Brain injury is the primary cause of fatal sports-related injuries. Concussion, which is also called mild traumatic brain injury or MTBI, can result from even minor blows to the head. A concussion can cause loss of consciousness and may affect:

• balance
• comprehension
• coordination
• hearing

• memory
• vision
  
  

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