Screening for injuries is the next frontier for musculoskeletal (most sports) injuries. Unfortunately, many flaws in injury exists, as we don't have enough research on the subject, especially for swimmers. Nonetheless, assessing injury risk and collecting data at your club is the first step of understanding what injury prevention programs are effective and what factors increase the injury risk. This article is a plea from a physical therapist to hopefully begin preventing shoulder injuries and to help the swimming world uncover shoulder injury risk factors.
Some of you may wonder why I write or care so much about swimming injuries well. In all honesty, the reason I got into physical therapy was to connect with people and help those move and
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Our underlining goal for our diverse programming is effective, safe, and research based practice. This theory underlies all our programs and needs. For our physical therapy, I see 30 – 40 swimmers a week, ranging from 8 – 80 years in age. Do you think it is easy to tell a 8-year-old swimmer they are injured and need to modify their swimming training? These kids simply want to hop in the water, play with their friends and have fun. Unfortunately, the swimming community does not always embrace the same principles (despite what many claim). Often times swimming is not used as an avenue of education and research backed, but instead a land of copycats and non-thinkers. With this, do we truly expect the sport to improve their high overuse injury risk (yes, swimming has the highest overuse risk of sports, although many believe it is a safe sport). Now, defining a safe sport may sound easy, and yes swimming doesn't have acute ACL tears or concussions, but an overuse injury can be just as serious and often times more depressing then these other injuries. Think of all the hours in a sport are required for a 8-year-old swimmer to develop an overuse injury? This grueling demand on a young swimmer is very sad and in my …show more content…
Therefore, a lot of these tests are purely extrapolated from baseball literature or my own experience of treating thousands of swimmer's shoulder cases. This step is the largest outside of training time commitment for a team. Moreover, it likely requires a professional (physical therapist, chiropractor, medical doctor, etc.) to assess (however, a coach could perform the testing if they have the time to spare). Overall, this testing should take an entire team ~3 – 4 hours, depending on the size of a team. If a team must hire a professional (which I bet you could find a local PT to do it for free or in exchange for advertising or some type of agreement of sending swimmers their way), it will be an investment of ~$1,000 on the high end. Now this number may sound like a lot, but once again if you are truly interested I bet you can find someone to do this for free with a little leg work. Also, if you really want to perform these tests, truly anyone can perform
When comparing rotator cuff tears from the common people and athletes, they are much more common when a person is physically active in sports. An injury in the rotator ...
Kids are playing in a pressure pot full of stress and this is dangerous. They feel over-responsible toward team mates, parents and coaches and in consequence, are playing with chronic pain and even concussions. One-Sport Wonder Kids are deciding by ages 9-10 they want to excel in one sport in order to win a college scholarship.
Ever since I was a young student, teachers knew that I was not a normal kid. These teachers saw qualities in me that they could not see in many students at that age level. They saw a child who had a profound love to know more and had the ambition of a decorated Olympic swimmer to learn not just the material that was being taught but why it is being taught and how I can I use this information to make people’s lives better. Fast-forward to today, and you can clearly see that not much has changed except my determination to learn and my love to help others has done nothing but expanded.
The majority of ACL injuries suffered during athletic participation are of the noncontact variety. Three main noncontact mechanisms have been identified planting and cutting, straight-knee landing and one-step stop landing with the knee hyperextended. Pivoting and sudden deceleration are also common mechanisms of noncontact ACL injury. Basketball, soccer, and volleyball consistently produce some of the highest ACL injury rates across various age groups. Other activities with a high rate of injury are gymnastics, martial arts, and running. In most sports, injuries occur more often in games than in practice. Many injuries have occurred during the first 30 minutes of play. One-reason physicians are seeing more ACL injuries in female patients that more women play sports, and they play more intensely. But as they continued to do more studies, they are finding that women's higher rate of ACL is probably due ...
Injuries can be common while participating in organized sports, competitions, training exercises, or fitness activities says Darice Britt. “Poor training methods, inadequate warm-up, and lack of conditioning are a few of the causes of sports injuries.” (Britt) Although on the other hand, Apostolos Theophilou, DPT, clinical coordinator of the Physical Therapist Assisting program at South University says that Injuries can be caused by a combination of those things, not necessarily the only reasons. “Fatigue and overuse are also significant contributors to an injury, and not excluding also the psychosocial aspects and dehydration that cause athletes to be prone to injuries.” (Theophilou)
Leppanen M, Aaltonen S, Parkkari, Heinonen A, Kujala U. Interventions to prevent sports related injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Sports Med. 2013; 44: 473-486. doi: 10.1007/s40279-013-0136-8
Not all gender differences in lower extremities motion patterns are necessarily risk factors of non-contact ACL injury. No gender differences were found in the risk factors of non-contact ACL in the stop-jump task (Lin, Liu, Gros, Weinhold, Garrett, & Yu, 2012). ACL injuries accounted for 20.5% of all knee injuries in this study. Athletes were seven times more likely to sustain ACL injuries in competition than practice (Joseph, Collins, Henke, Yard, Fields, Comstock, 2013). Among basketball players, females are at two to seven times greater risk (Zacharias, 2013). In Texas high school football and boys’ and girls’ basketball, knee injuries were more common in basketball with a 2.1 greater risk of injury per hour of exposure in females (Ireland, 1999). For the purpose of this study, ACL will refer to an injury of one of the ligaments in the knee. Pivoting and cutting are the motions that are major causes of ACL injuries. A high school athlete is a person who plays sports for at least three times a week for a total of six hours per week. Non-contact is when an injury occurs without any physical contact. Contact is when the injury is caused by another person. If girls’ basketball has a lot of pivoting and cutting then it will have the most ACL
The sheer energy of a gymnast alone can be felt by audiences of all ages, but what the spectators lack the ability to feel is the pounding of the bodies that bear the impact of the athletes in action. Gymnastics consists of a mixture of acrobatic performances of four different events for females, and six different events for males (Gianoulis 1). Gymnastics is demanding in a multitude of ways, including: physically, emotionally and mentally. It requires countless hours of dedication. The concerns of most gymnasts are moving up to the next level, or getting a more advanced skill, while the concerns of the doctors, coaches, and parents revolve mostly around the athlete’s health, which is put at stake for the adored yet dangerous sport. Injuries are common among both male and female gymnast alike, but due to the fact a female gymnast’s career peaks at the same time of major growth and development, a female gymnast’s body as a whole is more likely to undergo lifelong changes or affects (Gianoulis 2). Among the injuries of the mind blowing athletes, the most common ones affect the ankles, feet, lower back, wrist, and hands of individuals (Prevention and Treatment 1). From sprains, to the breaks, the intriguing sport of gymnastics is physically demanding on a gymnast’s body.
Sports play essential roles in the lives of many people. Each year, nearly 36 million kids ages 5-18 play on an organized sports team in the U.S. (Statistic Brain). Those kids are the future of sports in the U.S. and with too many of them injured at a young age, future sports talent will be lost. Overuse injuries are increasing in today’s youth sports as parents and coaches push young athletes to specialize in sports at young ages and play all year round in the hopes of one day making a college or professional team roster. Overuse injuries are mostly preventable with the proper precautions taken by parents, athletes and coaches. With the rise of overuse injuries in the recent past, the need to spread awareness to parents, coaches and young athletes becomes more necessary. If parents are not aware of the
The parent’s, coaches and players all have a responsibility in being alert to signs of injury and following guidelines to prevent injuries. Proper warm-up, rest periods and early detection are key to maintaining shoulder health and all symptoms should be gone before a player is returned to the field.
Athletes should plan to have at least one day off per week, and at least one month off per year from training in a particular sport to allow the body to recover (2016 Sports Injury Prevention Tip Sheet, n.d). When athletes don’t take time off of their sport they are more susceptible to overuse injuries. The most common injuries in sport are sprains and strains. When athletes do not allow their muscles to rest, then they are constantly being used, and when this happens sprains and strains are likely to occur (H, Mathew, n.d). In addition to taking time off, one of the best ways to avoid an injury is to wear the equipment
The shoulder is the most complex joint in the body. It is capable of moving in more than 16,000 positions. Many of its ailments, including the most common ones, involve biomechanical mechanisms that are unique to the shoulder. The most common shoulder problem for which professional help is sought out for is shoulder impingement (Haig 1996). Shoulder impingement is primarily an overuse injury that involves a mechanical compression of the supraspinatus tendon, subacromial bursa, and the long head of the biceps tendon, all of which are located under the coracoacromial arch (Prentice 2001). Impingement has been described as a continuum during which repetitive compression eventually leads to irritation and inflammation that progresses to fibrosis and eventually to rupture of the rotator cuff. Because impingement involves a spectrum of lesions of tissue in the shoulder, a working knowledge of its structural relationships will facilitate an understanding of the factors that result in abnormalities. This paper will provide knowledge of the anatomy, biomechanics, and correct rehabilitation involved with shoulder impingement.
Paddock, Catharine. "Young Athletes: Injuries And Prevention." Medical News Today. MediLexicon International Ltd, 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Physical therapy plays a major role in the lives of many individuals every day. It is up to those in the Physical therapy profession to assist patients in rehabilitation, prevention, and care. Obtaining a Physical Therapy license requires relevant certifications and credentials. A Bachelor in Health Science is just the start of the educational requirements needed to succeed. As with any profession, there are some current issues in the field of Health Care that relate to Physical Therapy. This includes the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and individuals with disabilities. It is vital to be a respectful and professional Physical therapist. Patient care is priority. Having the proper education and knowledge to assist clients is extremely important. People of all ages require physical therapy for various injuries, illnesses, and diseases. I feel that my connection with working with people of all ages will benefit me when it comes to the job. While I know what my strengths are, I do have goals set for my future in Physical Therapy. These goals include: graduating Kaplan University with a Bachelors of Science in Health Science, graduating University of Massachusetts with a Doctorates of Physical Therapy, receiving licensure from the State of Massachusetts, and gaining employment in a sports or rehabilitation setting. I know that Kaplan University Career Services can assist me in obtaining my goals as a Physical Therapist because of their in-depth assistive programs that can assist me with my employment desires. In 5 years, I see myself working with athletes or wounded Veterans in a local rehabilitative setting or hospital. There is no other profession I would want more than becoming a professional, licensed, Physical Therapist and gettin...
Swimming, one of the most favored sports by people across the world, is much greater than a form of competition and entertainment for a certain group of people. For countless mentally and physically disabled people, the pool represents a place where they build strength and derive confidence, and a place for them to connect with people who share the same mental or physical struggles as they do. According to Aquatics International’s research, people with disabilities have less time to socialize and partake in activities that require physical strength and they often experience feelings of depression. However, Aquatics International also found that “People with disabilities who are encouraged to participate in recreational activities such as swimming can achieve a greater sense of individual wellness and overall satisfaction with life” (Ostby and Skulski).Therefore, swimming is undoubtedly more than just a sport or form of entertainment; because, for some people, it is what keeps them alive and pain free. Swimming affects the livelihood of people with mental and physical disabilities in momentously positive ways, providing them support in innumerable aspects of their lives.