A joint injury can occur from any type of physical activity that an individual partakes in throughout their daily life; however, joint injuries are more prevalent among sports. The severity of these injuries can be very minor, while others can be very serious. Some injuries can be extremely severe that they require surgery.
Three major joint injuries that are common in sports include: sprains and strains, knee injuries, and dislocations. Sprains and strains are considered to be the most common injury in any type of sport. According to “Handout on Health: Sports Injuries,” a sprain “is a stretch or tear of a ligament, the band of connective tissues that joins the end of one bone with another.” Trauma from a fall or blow to the body is what
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Dislocations occur when forces pushes two bones out of alignment (“The 5 Most Common Sports Injuries”). The fingers, hands, and shoulders are more common forms of dislocations (“The 5 Most Common Sports Injuries”). The majority of dislocations are caused by contact sports such as basketball and football or other high-risk sports that require excessive stretching or falling (“Handout on Health: Sports Injuries”). Dislocated bones may be able to be put back in place; however, the tissue surrounding it will more than likely be severely damaged (“The 5 Most Common Sports …show more content…
Joint replacements are conducted to improve an individual’s quality of life. The most common joint replacements include total knee replacement, total hip replacement, and shoulder joint replacement. The knee is the largest joint in the body and it is essential for walking. The knee is comprised of the lower end of the femur, the upper end of the tibia, and the patella, which is also known as the kneecap (“Most Common Types of Joint Replacement Surgery”). During a total knee replacement, the surgeon will remove damaged cartilage from the ends of the femur and tibia, and replace them with mental components (“Most Common Types of Joint Replacement Surgery”). According to the “Most Common Types of Joint Replacement Surgery,” “a spacer is also inserted between the metal components to allow the joint to glide smoothly.” The hip is also the largest ball-and-socket joint in the body. In a total hip replacement, the damaged ball of the joint is taken out and replaced with a metal piece that is attached to the bone components. Just like the knee replacement, a spacer is placed between the implants to help them glide smoothly (“Most Common Types of Joint Replacement Surgery”). The shoulder is also another example of a ball-and-socket joint. It is comprised of three different bones: the upper arm bone or the humerus,
In spite of this the rate of ACL injury is almost equal through all levels of sports, from beginner, to recreational, to professional athletes. The most widely publicized incident of ACL damage has come from Theresa Edwards who was a top female athlete. She was a basketball player who went to the limit with sports. She went beyond her capability and her ligament couldn’t withstand the pressure and snapped. She is not the only but just one example of many who have suffered this same problem. As female athletes continue to become more competitive and aggressive, ACL damage continues to rise.
The majority of ACL injuries can be defined as ‘non-contact’ (without direct trauma to knee joint), which occur during various sporting activities involving high risk dynamic movements ⁶ ¹¹. The mechanism involved in non-contact ACL injury during sporting activities is commonly attributed to foot planting, pivoting, decelerating or side cutting movements ¹². The need for further investigation into the aforementioned non-contact ACL injury mechanisms and risk factors is facilitated by continuing high incidence rates, long recovery periods and economic burdens ³ ¹¹. The remainder of the current review will primarily look into the association between biomechanics and ...
There are many injuries in general, but sports injuries? Sprains and Strains are the most common injuries in sports. “Sprains are injuries to ligaments, the tough bands connecting in a joint. Suddenly stretching ligaments past their limits deforms or tears them” (Hoffman 1). Ligaments are like springs in a sense that when you stretch a spring, it will return to it’s normal state unless they are
These types of injuries do not happen alone typically they go along with a traumatic event such as a car collision, a fall, blunt force, anything that would have greater force than the bone itself causing a breakage. A fracture in the patella is no different, patients who experience such events are like to produce these signs and symptoms such as severe pain in and around the patella, swelling, difficulty extending their leg, deformed appearance of the knee due to fractured pieces, and tenderness. There are many different types of fractures and some have to do with anatomical location such as transverse (horizontally across), apex(at the highest point), and vertical or a complete breakage of the patella called a comminuted fracture. The signs and symptoms however remain the same for all if not most patellar fractures. Perhaps patients whom are experience pain in their knees could potentially be at risk for a type of injury but it is hard to determine without the proper knowledge of the risk
In order to understand how the menisci can be injured, you must understand the basic anatomy of the menisci and why they are important. The menisci are two oval (semilunar) fibrocartilages that deepen the articular facets of the tibia and cushion any stresses placed on the knee joint. They enhance the total stability of the knee, assist in the control of normal knee motion, and provide shock absorption against compression forces between the tibia and the femur (Booher, 2000). Articular cartilage covers the ends of the bones that make up the joint. The articular cartilage surface is a tough, very slick material that allows the surfaces to slide against one another without damage to either surface. This ability of the meniscus to spread out the force on the joint surfaces as we walk is important because it protects the articular cartilage from excessive forces occurring in any one area on the joint surface, leading to degeneration over time (Sutton, 1999).
In today’s sports world, athletes are pushing themselves to the limits to accomplish a sound victory for themselves or their team. But sometimes they succumb to pushing themselves too hard and get injured. They put them in a position where the only option they have is getting an injury. Lots of injuries happen to the leg of the athlete, but the knee is where the most damage is. Although it does not happen often, a knee dislocation is a serious injury. Being different than a patellar dislocation which is where the patella relocates to another spot of the knee, a knee dislocation is where the tibia and femur are forcibly separated. Not only can one dislocate their knee, they also can also tear their anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, and sometimes tear the medial collateral ligament or the lateral collateral ligament. As well with the ligaments be torn, blood supply and nerve blockage could happen making a dislocated knee very dangerous to the athlete who dislocates their knee. A dislocation is a medical emergency that usually ends up in surgery to fix not only the placement of the bones, but the ligaments as well. This injury can keep an athlete out for weeks or months depending on the severity of the dislocation making a long and painful rehab. Once back into play, unfortunately, the chances of them dislocating again increase making the management and rehab of the athlete even more important.
When an athlete catches the sound of their knee crack and pop, they better prepare themselves for a long journey. The Center for Injury and Policy (CIRP), from Science Daily, reports that, “Knees are the most accident prone part of the body in high school athletes.” Knee injuries are very common; in fact, they are responsible for 45% of the injuries that occur in high school athletics across America. Knee injuries are well known to not just those in the medical field, but also to athletes. Injuries to the knee are caused by many factors, and what happens after the injury has taken place is what’s most concerning (Science Daily).
Not one, but there are many causes leading to a damaged, or worn out knee joint. Here are some most common factors that can affect the knee joint:
ACL injuries account for over sixty percent of all knee injuries and those numbers are growing every year (Lamb 145). The major cause of injury to the ACL is sports related. The types of sports, which have been associated with ACL tears, are numerous. Those sports requiring the foot to be planted and the body to change direction rapidly (such as basketball) carry a high incidence of injury. Football, of course, is frequently the source of an ACL tear. Football combines the activity of planting the foot and rapidly changing direction plus the threat of bodily contact.
Sometimes the UCL will weaken and stretch (technically a sprain), making it incompetent. Other times a catastrophic stress will cause the structure to "pop" or blow out. The injury isn't tremendously painful, and it can be incredibly diffic...
Two ligaments in the knees are most likely to be injured. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is in the center of the knee. It is often injured by a twisting motion, such as pivoting wrong or falling awkwardly. This unfortunately is one of the ligaments that I tore. The other ligament, the medial collateral ligament (MCL) is on the inside of the knee. It is normally injured from a blow to the side of the knee. This is common in contact sports such as football and soccer. Injury to either ligament causes pain and weakens the knee joint. Without treatment, the patient may develop many other knee problems that can have lasting effects.
Myer G, Ford K, Paterno M, Nick T, Hewett T. The effects of generalized joint laxity on risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury in young female athletes. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2008; 36 (6): 1073-1080. doi: 10.1177/0363546507313572
...sh someone down while kicking the soccer ball; elbow you on the face while playing basketball, getting hit by a baseball/softball, getting tackled by another football player. These are the most common injuries in sports.
ACL injury is quite prevalent in the United States. About every 1 in 3,000 people suffer from an ACL injury in their lifetime, and approximately 95,000 new incidences of ACL injury occur each year. The largest amount of these injuries occurs during sports which involve twisting, cutting, jumping and deceleration. The mechanisms that can cause an ACL injury are excessive valgus (outside of knee) stress, forced hyperextension, or forced external rotation of the femur on the a fixed tibia (Evans, 2001). Many associate the tearing of the ACL with a large impact or collision, however 80% of all ACL injuries are non-contact injuries. This statistic shows that ACL injuries are mostly caused by the individual themselves as opposed to an opponent or other person. The exact mechanism of noncontact ACL tears consists of poor knee positioning (e.g. landing with an extended knee) and a strong, unopposed quad contraction (Murray, 2013).
“10% of all college sports players sustain brain injuries.” (CFAF). Many athletes have been absent from sport events and games do to injuries. Injuries are common in any type of organized sport. The injuries that athletes get are mainly from not exercising correctly, not doing the proper stretches, and by not keeping enough fluids in the body. The most common injuries are ankle twist, pulled muscles, concussions, broken bones, and fractures. The easiest way to prevent these type of injuries from happening is to make sure you have the proper training and stretching. Poor training methods, inadequate warm-up, and lack of conditioning are a few of the causes of sports injuries. “Injuries can be caused by a combination of those things without necessarily being the only reasons,” (Apostolos Theophilou). Injuries can also be caused by not using the proper technique in the sport, or by doing the proper stretching techniques. Most athletes hardly ever stretch before a game or event. Stretching is the main reason why athletes are injured so often. Whenever you don’t stretch, the muscles in the body are very tight and can be pulled easily or may cause very painful cramping.