Sports Injuries

The term sports injuries describes injuries that occur to athletes (professional or amateur) during sports activities (training or competitions). They can happen to anyone, but are more common in athletes because of the frequency of musculoskeletal system strain. They are common injuries and can range from minor to serious conditions requiring medical intervention.

Categories of Sports Injuries:

• Acute injuries: resulting from sudden injury e.g. sprains, fractures, fractures, dislocations.

• Chronic Injuries: develop over time due to repetitive strain. e.g. tendonitis, overuse syndromes (e.g. runner's knee).

Common Types of Injuries

• Torsion: Ligament injuries (e.g. ankle).

• Contusions: Muscle or tendon injuries.

• Fractures: Broken bone.

• Disaggregations: Displacement of a joint from its normal position.

• Tendinitis: Inflammation of the tendons.

• Crush syndrome: A dangerous condition involving pressure on tissues from a hematoma.

The most common sports injuries are:

• Achilles tendon rupture.

• Shoulder dislocation.

• Meniscus tear.

• Rupture of anterior cruciate ligament.

• Rupture of rotator cuff tear.

• Lagging ligament syndrome.

Depending on the type of injury, the following are listed:

• Pain.

• Swelling.

• Limited mobility.

• Joint instability.

• Bruising (bruise).

• Clicking or "popping" sensation at the injury.

The treatment of sports injuries depends on the nature of the injury and the prerequisite for proper rehabilitation is the correct diagnosis.

Immediate Treatment with the R.I.C.E. method:

• Rest: Avoid using the injured area.

• Ice: Application of ice to reduce swelling.

• Compression: Elastic bandage for support.

• Elevation: Elevation of the injured limb.

Conservative Τreatment

• Medication (e.g. anti-inflammatories, painkillers, stronger analgesics, etc.).

• Topical injections and biological treatments based on the body's ability to feed itself (e.g. PRP).

• Physiotherapy.

Surgical Τreatment

Severe injuries require surgery commensurate with the injury.

Treatment of sports injuries may be surgical, especially when the athlete is young and needs to return to sport immediately. Usually the method used is arthroscopic, which is modern, safe and offers rapid recovery with excellent results. Indicatively:

• Anterior cruciate ligament rupture can be treated with an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

• Rupture of the Achilles tendon may be treated by either open or percutaneous stapling.

• A ruptured meniscus is treated by meniscectomy or stapling.

• In cases of fractures, the doctor recommends either splinting or casting or osteosynthesis.