Understanding The Most Common Sports Injuries And Treatment Approaches

What Are The Most Common Sports Injuries?

Common sports injuries include ankle sprains, hamstring strains, knee injuries (such as ACL tears and patellofemoral syndrome), tennis elbow, as well as shoulder injuries (such as dislocation, rotator cuff tears, clavicle fractures, and acromioclavicular joint dislocations).

The most common mechanism of injury for cruciate ligaments is due to the flexion abduction internal rotation of the femur on a fixed tibia. The most common structure in the world is the medial cruciate ligament, followed by the anti-cruciate ligament and the medial meniscus.

Clinical features of this injury include painful swelling of the knee and difficulty in walking. This injury is diagnosed with the help of an MRI or arthroscopy. Treatment involves reconstructing the ligament with hamstring muscles, with the most common muscle used being the semitendinosus.

• Rotator instability of the knee can be classified into three types. Anteromedial instability is caused due to damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial cruciate ligament (MCL), and medial knee capsule. Antiliteral instability is caused due to damage to ACL, lateral cruciate ligament (LCL), and lateral knee capsule. Posterolateral instability is due to damage to PCL and LCL. 
• Meniscal injury is usually caused by rotation on a semi-flexed knee. Patients with this type of injury often complain of recurrent locking of the knee joint. Diagnosis is done through tests like Mc Murrays test, Apleys grinding test, and squat test. MRI or arthroscopy are the preferred investigations to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment options include meniscal repair for red zone injury and partial meniscectomy or complete removal for white zone injury.

Regional Conditions

• Plica syndrome is a condition where remnants of synovial septations in the knee, which usually disappear after birth, can cause severe inflammation when exposed to minimal trauma. There are two types of plica: suprapatellar and infra patellar. The treatment for this syndrome is the removal of the affected plica.
• Osteochondritis dissecans is a joint condition that affects the knee joint. It is caused by the softening and disintegration of a part of the joint surface, which leaves a small necrotic patch on the bone. The condition is most commonly observed on the lateral aspect of the radial feral condo. The treatment options for this condition include the microfracture technique, fixation of the fragment, or removal of the fragment.
• Elbow dislocation can be anterior, posterior, medial, or lateral. Posterior dislocation of the elbow is the most common type. The investigation of choice for this condition is plane X-ray of the elbow. The X-ray will show the displacement of the elbow joint and loss of the three-point relationship. The treatment for elbow dislocation is internal reduction of the joint under general anaesthesia.
• Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition that can result from overuse of the muscles and tendons in the elbow. It is common among athletes, not just tennis players. The treatment options for this condition include activity modification, corticosteroid injections into the elbow joint, joint extracorporeal shock therapy, ultrasound-guided techniques that use energy waves to damage tissues in the elbow, icing, pain or anti-inflammatory medication, range of motion exercises, and physical therapy.
• Shoulder dislocation is the most common joint to have recurring dislocations. The most common type of shoulder dislocation is the anterior dislocation. The attitude of the limb will be in abduction and external rotation. Clinical tests for this condition include the Hamilton ruler test, callways test, and DUGA'S test. The diagnosis for this condition is by plane radiograph of the elbow joint. Treatment options for shoulder dislocation include Kocher's reduction and the Hippocratic method.
• Rotator cuff injuries occur when one or more of the four muscles of the rotator cuff (supraspinatous, infraspinatous, teres minor, and subscapularis) get injured. The supraspinatous muscle is the most common muscle to get injured. Treatment options for this injury include open or arthroscopic repair and acromioplasty, tendon transfer, or partial repair, depending on the severity of the injury.
• Clavicle fracture most commonly occurs in the middle one-third of the clavicle. The medial fragment gets displaced upwards due to the pull of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, while the lateral fragment gets displaced downwards due to gravity and the weight of the limb. The investigation of choice for this condition is plane X-ray of the shoulder and clavicle. The treatment options for clavicle fracture include conservative management with a triangular sling or figure of eight bandage. If the fracture is left untreated, it can result in complications such as malunion, injury to subclavian vessels, brachial plexus, and shoulder stiffness.

How Are Sports Injuries Diagnosed?

Sports injuries can be diagnosed with the help of a plain X-ray of the body part involved. Sometimes an MRI of the joint or body part involved may be needed to look for injuries of muscles, ligaments, or tendons.

What Are The Usual Treatment Approaches For Sports Injuries?

The treatment approaches for sports injuries include repair, excision, arthroplasty, rest for the involved body part, physiotherapy, and immobilization of the joint involved with the help of a cast.

Can Sports Injuries Be Prevented?

To prevent sports injuries, you can develop a fitness plan that includes cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility exercises. This will help decrease your chance of injury. 

Additionally, it is important to cool down properly after exercise or sports to decrease inflammation of the muscles and limit repetitive moments. Other measures to prevent sports injuries include making strength training a priority, warming up before competing, encouraging rest, double-checking properly fitted gear, and wearing properly fitting protective equipment like pads, helmets, mouthpieces, face guards, and protective eyewear.

Are There Any Rehabilitation Exercises Or Therapies For Faster Recovery?

Physical therapy is a non-invasive medical treatment that helps individuals to develop, maintain, and restore maximum body movement and physical function. Some great benefits of physical therapy include safe return to your sport or activity, pain relief, reducing the need for medication, improving gait, and regaining function.

Some physical therapy exercises for speedier recovery from sports injuries include squats with overhead band, prone ball cars to strengthen the back side of the body, figure 8s in a squat, inchworms, and plyometrics. The ultimate goal of the rehabilitation process is to limit the extent of injury, reduce or reverse the impairment and functional loss, and prevent, correct, or eliminate altogether the disability. It requires a multidisciplinary approach with avoidance of aggravation, correct timing of rest, compliance with the rehabilitation program, individualization of the rehabilitation plan, and treating the whole patient instead of treating the affected area alone.