Sports Injury (Research Paper Sample)

Sports Injury
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Many sportsmen have at one time or the other sustained a sports injury, with some taking a long time to recover from the injury. In definition, sports injuries involve the injuries, which happen when exercising or playing sports (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases [NIAMS], 2009). The following is a comprehensive discussion of sports injuries with a focus on the causes, injury types, prevention strategies and management.
More often than not, the injuries result from trauma or impact, but can also result from the overuse or repetitive use of muscles, ligaments and tendons (Wood & Bellis, 2012). However, lack of adequate warming up and stretching before playing can equally cause sports injuries.
According to NIAMS (2009), the most common types of sports injuries include sprains, strains, swollen muscles, knee injuries, fractures, Achilles tendon injuries, dislocations and pain along a person’s shinbone. Importantly, all the above-mentioned injuries can be acute or chronic in nature. Specifically, when the injury occurs abruptly when exercising or playing, it qualifies to be an acute injury. Mostly, sprained ankles, fractured hands and strained backs qualify as acute injuries.
In many cases, the acute injuries manifest with abrupt severe pain, extreme arm or leg weakness, swelling and inability to place any weight on the knee, foot, ankle or the leg (NIAMS, 2009). Moreover, they can manifest with tenderness in the elbow, wrist, arm, finger or hand, inability to move some joints as usual, or a visibly displaced joint or bone.
By contrast, chronic injuries normally happen after exercising or playing a certain sport for a considerably long time. Such injuries manifest with pain when exercising, pain when playing, swelling, or some dull ache while resting (NIAMS, 2009).
Owing to the potential serious consequences of the sports injuries, it is important to create awareness on the evidence-based strategies of preventing sports injuries. Importantly, there should be a focus on injury prevention during play. Indeed, research indicates that injuries occur mostly during the competitive kind of plays than during training. In fact, for a game like rugby, the injury incidence during matches is about 91% as compared to the 2% incidence during training (Wood & Bellis, 2012).
One of the recommended interventions of preventing the occurrence of sports injuries includes the utilization of various safer sports tools or equipment. For instance, in baseball, the inexperienced or younger players can use safety balls to reduce the rates of sports injury. From another perspective, the players can use protective equipments to reduce the impact of the injury (Wood & Bellis, 2012). However, the protective equipments vary from one game to the other and include helmets (useful n skiing, cricket and cycling), mouth guards (useful in football, basketball and rugby), eye goggles (in lacrosse), elbow guards (in skiing) and even ankle braces.
The other important preventive intervention includes changing the rules of the play. Indeed, research indicates that the modification of playing rules to prohibit dangerous or aggressive behavior significantly decreases the number of reported injuries in sports. The implementation of such rules has reduced injuries on the spinal cord for rugby and American football players (Wood & Bellis, 2012).
There are also training programmes that can help a player avoid an injury. The training programmes work to improve the player’s strength, co-ordination, technique, as well as awareness of risks of an injury (Wood & Bellis, 2012). However, such programmes have shown effectiveness in players who have had previous injuries. Perhaps, the reason is that any player who has suffered from an injury is mostly receptive of any preventive intervention.
Finally yet importantly, there are multi-component programmes, which combine many elements like sessions on warm up, regular training, use of ankle braces, as well as measures of rehabilitating the injuries (Wood & Bellis, 2012). If implemented properly, such multi-component programmes can aid in preventing many sports injuries.
Other than the prevention, it is important for the players and coaches to understand the appropriate ways of managing the injury when it occurs. More often than not, early management helps in preventing any adverse complications. Importantly, after sustaining the injury, the player should rest the injured area by getting out of the field (Meyer, 2010). Normally, resting prevents further damage to the tissues and immobilizes the injured part.
Accordingly, ice application should help in cooling the affected area, preventing further swelling and arresting bleeding. Furthermore, compression of the injured area using an elastic bandage or strapping should follow in order to support the affected area and reduce bleeding...