Sports Injuries
Below are some common sports injuries that you may come across.
The following five symptoms may indicate an injury:
- Pain
- Heat
- Redness
- Swelling
- Loss of function/range of movement
If any of these symptoms are experienced any activity should be stopped immediately.
Attempting to work through symptoms such as these, or masking them with painkillers, may lead to a much more serious injury.
The most common form of injuries are soft tissue injuries.
A sprain occurs when ligaments (the fibrous tissue that connect bone to bone) are overstretched or torn – usually the damage is the result of an accident, i.e. twisting the ankle.
A strain occurs when a muscle or a tendon (the connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone) is damaged. This type of injury can also occur as a result of an accident.
An overuse injury is an injury caused by an activity that places too much stress on one area of the body over an extended period of time.
Common soft tissue injuries are:
Sprain is when ligaments are overstretched or torn
Strain occurs when muscle or tendon is overstretched and partially torn
Rupture is overstretching and a complete tear of muscle or tendon
Deep bruising or haematoma with a large amount of blood in a muscle
Classification of injuries
1st Degree or mild
Results from a mild stretch of ligaments or capsular structures, or an over-stretch or direct blow to muscle. There is slight swelling and bruising and pain is felt only at the end of full range of movement or on stretching or contraction of the muscle. The joint is stable, there is little muscle spasm and no loss of function.
Second degree or moderate
Injury is due to moderate stretch of ligament or capsular structures, or excessive stretch or a direct blow to muscle, tearing some fibres. There is moderate swelling and bruising, with moderate pain felt on any movement. It impairs the ability of the muscle to contract or be stretched. The joint may show some instability with ligament or capsular injuries. Moderate muscle spasm may be a reflex response. The torn fibres decrease the tensile strength of the ligament or capsule and decrease the contractile strength of the muscle, impairing function.
Third degree or severe injury
The result of a severe over-stretch of a ligament, or excessive stretch or direct blow to muscle, causing a full tear of the injured structure. There is significant swelling and bruising with severe pain even at rest with significant impairment of function. Ligament injuries produce marked instability and significant reduction in contractile strength, with muscle injuries causing severe muscle spasm, while the injured muscle is incapable of exerting force. Function is severely impaired.
Injury Treatment & Rehabilitation
Even with preventive maintenance the athlete can suffer from, muscle injuries, cramps and over stretched tissue fibres, due to the execssive demands of sporting activity.
Sports massage is used to help speed healing and reduce discomfort during the rehabilitation process. Thermal treatments including hot and cold are applied to speed up removal of waste from the site of injury and speed up the healing process by increased circulation.
Soft tissue techniques employed by sports massage therapists are effective in the management of both acute and chronic injuries. For example, adding lymphatic massage to the "standard care" procedure in the acute stage of injury will improve control of secondary, hypoxic injury and enhance edemous fluid removal throughout the healing cycle.
Ultrasound treatments are applied throughout the treatment phase to enhance healing, 
alleviate tension, promote circulation as to speed up the healing process.
Trigger point techniques reduce the spasms and pain that occur both in the injured and "compensation" muscles.
Cross-fiber friction techniques applied during the subacute and maturation phases of healing improve the formation of strong and flexible repair tissue, which is vital in maintaining full pain-free range of motion during rehabilitation.
In all cases, the general aim is to progress through each stages of treatment and progressive rehabilitation programme to allow the person to return to activity in an optimal time frame.