Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on sports injuries and preventative strategies
Essay on sports injuries and preventative strategies
Essay on sports injuries and preventative strategies
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essay on sports injuries and preventative strategies
Annually, 30 in 100,000 people in the UK suffer an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury making it the most common knee ligament to be injured (National Health Service Choices 2013). Incidences of ACL injury are higher in females than in their male counterparts. Surgical reconstruction of the ACL is standard practice however it is yet to be determined what the most effective rehabilitation technique is. An untreated injury to a cruciate ligament or stiffness following surgical repair could alter its mechanical function within the knee joint, affecting both the damaged and normal ligaments (Moglo and Shirazi-Adl 2004).
Anatomy
The ACL is one of 5 ligaments of the knee joint, coursing from the distal femur to the proximal tibia as seen in figure 1. The fifth, anterolateral ligament (ALL) not seen in figure 1 is hypothesisd by Claes et al. (2013) as being injured at the same time as the ACL, reducing knee stability on leg rotation. The ACL has two bundles: the anteromedial (lengthens) and posterlateral (shortens) bundles which change length during flexion at the knee joint (Duthon et al. 2006).
Function
The ACLs function is to prevent unwarranted anterior tibial translation during flexion of the leg at the knee joint (Liu-Ambrose 2003). In anterior drawer the ACL is the primary restraint, providing 86% of the total resisting force to anterior displacement of the tibia at 30 and 90 degrees of flexion at the knee joint. Butler et al. (1980) quantifiably measured individual restraining forces of the anterior cruciate ligament in 14 cadaveric knee preparations by measuring the reduction in restraining force after the cutting of the ligament, defining its contribution. It was found in the intact knee joint the average restr...
... middle of paper ...
... surgery, it is physiotherapy techniques like OKC and CKC exercises that allow patients to regain full motility with the hope of attaining pre-injury status. Although there is still debate over each method of rehabilitation, cryotherapy is the standard strategy immediately after surgery and long term, for symptom prevention. However this alone is not sufficient to regain ROM in the knee joint, so physiotherapeutic techniques are still vital.
It is important to take in to consideration the patients individual requirements on the need to get back to sport. Combining OKC and CKC has been shown to be more efficacious long term than OKC alone. There is little research in to unilateral vertical jump in patients with ACL deficiency, however the implications after ACL reconstruction could be considered more beneficial for further developing rehabilitative treatments.
(2014). Effects of Kinesiology Taping on Repositioning Error of the Knee Joint after Quadriceps Muscle Fatigue. Physical Therapy Science 26(6); 921-923.
The incidence and prevalence rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in female athletes continues to increase over time (Prodromos, Han, Rogowski, Joyce, & Shi, 2007). With the growing rate in the amount of young women participating in sports, data has shown that the rate of ACL injury increases linearly with this participation ("The Relationship Between Static Posture and ACL Injury in Female Athletes," 1996). This epidemic of ACL injuries in female athletes, young or old, continues to be problematic in the athletic world. This problem not only affects the athlete themselves, but also the coaches and the sports medicine community.
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 most common knee injury in sports is damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) through tears or sprains. “They occur in high demand sports that involve planting and cutting, jumping with a poor landing, and stopping immediately or changing directions” (University of Colorado Hospital). The ACL is a ligament that runs diagonally in the middle of the knee and found at the front of the patellar bone. Its function involves controlling the back and forth motion of the knee, preventing the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, and providing rational stability to the knee. Interestingly, women are more prone to ACL injuries than men. The occurrence is four to six times greater in female athletes.
In November of 2010, I was playing basketball in the fifth game of my senior season. It was just like any other game. However, I would soon find out otherwise. It was late in the game; I drove into the lane and got fouled hard. I was knocked so off-balance that I speared the floor with my knee. As soon as my knee hit the floor I heard a “snap” that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Little did I know at the time, that would be the last shot of my high school basketball career. Not long after my injury, I consulted a doctor. After getting an x-ray and an MRI, the doctor informed me that I had completely torn my ACL and would need to have surgery. An ACL tear can be a very devastating injury. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the four major ligaments within the knee. The ACL is one of the most commonly injured ligaments, injured by an estimated 200,000 patients each year. Of the 200,000 annual ACL injuries, surgery is performed in approximately 100,000 cases. There are many types of reconstructive surgery on the ACL. However, there is an alternative to surgery in the form of physical therapy.
The anterior cruciate ligament is the reason that the knee only has one pattern of movement. Instead of moving sideways and up and down, the knee only serves as a pivot for flexion (bending) and extension (straightening); it holds the tibia and femur in place (northstar). In the northstar web page it is stated that, “The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the most important ligaments to athletes because of its main function, stabilization of the joint while decelerating.” In other words, it is the reason that we can stop abruptly without our leg collapsing. Obviously this asset makes it an essential to have a functioning ACL while playing sports. It is an especially common injury in soccer, which is a game of constant abrupt stops. Not only is soccer a danger to the ACL because of its constant stops and starts, it is also a...
... This patient, after treatment, had completed ROM and was able to get back to daily activities (Papa 2012). GISTM has been shown to work on all types of injuries, whether the patient had surgery or not. GISTM is becoming a well-known tool in the clinical world and is a reason for faster recovery periods (Black 2010). Works Cited Black D. Treatment of knee arthrofibrosis and quadriceps insufficiency after patellar tendon repair: a case report including use of the graston technique.
Ligaments are tough, non-stretchable fibers that hold bones together. Damage to cruciate ligaments, which crisscross the knee to give it stability, is one of the most common sports injuries. The “tear” occurs from changing direction rapidly, slowing down from running, or landing from a jump improperly. The A.C.L tear is one injury that worries athletes in all sports at all levels because of its devastating effects. People ages 15-25 that participate in basketball and other sports that require pivoting are especially at risk.
...tead of one big one. Building your leg muscles, especially your hamstrings can help prevent ACL injury. Be thoroughly warmed up before jumping and pivoting hard. It is a good idea to be actually sweating when you are warming up.
"Chapter 37." Operative Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery. Ed. Sam Wiesel. 4th ed. Vol. 2. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011. eBook.
A 16 year old, female high school soccer player, Lindsey Robinson tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) from a soccer game. Interestingly, she was not the only one in her team who injured her ACL, but also several of her teammates have torn the same ligament as well during the soccer season. Lephart (2002) found that women involved in physical activity are more susceptible to acquire the ACL injuries than men who are involved in the same physical activity (as cited in Ogden, 2002). According to “ACL Injury Prevention” (2004), the numbers on female ACL ruptures have been increased for the past ten year. Over 1.4 million women have been suffered from the ACL rupture which is twice the rate of the previous decade. Therefore, female ACL injuries are now a growing problem in the nation (Anonymous, 2004). Back in 1950s and 1960s, female participation in sports was rare; therefore, the rate of injuries was very low. However, according to “ACL Injuries and Female Athletes” (n.d), as Title IX was implemented in 1972, female participation in numerous sports has dramatically increased. Moreover, the rate of acquiring injuries to the ACL also has dramatically increased (Anonymous, n.d). In terms of comparing the rate of acquiring ACL injuries between two genders, females have higher rate than males do. According to the “Physical Therapy Corner” (2007), “women suffered anterior cruciate ligament injuries more often than men, nearly 4 times as often in basketball, 3 times as often in gymnastics, and nearly 2 and a half times as often in soccer” (Knee Injuries section, para.1). There are various risk factors that contribute to the high rate of acquiring injuries to the ACL for female athletes. External factors such as improper sh...
This case involved a 53 year old man who sustained a significant tear of his rotator cuff while playing baseball. He underwent surgical repair and was given a referral for physical therapy. The referral was to begin passive ROM 3 times per week for 2 weeks then initiate a supervised home program of active exercise for 2 weeks, and elastic resistance exercises for internal and external rotation every other day for a month. 2 weeks after surgery, he had his first PT visit in a sports medicine clinic that was managed by an athletic trainer (ATC).”
* Heat and Cold Therapy has been used for centuries to manage soft tissue and joint injuries while relieving pain.
Lee SE, Cho SH. The effect of McConnell taping on vastus medialis and lateralis activity during squatting in adults with patellofemoral pain syndrome. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation. 2013;9(2):326-330
Orthopedic surgeons are responsible for mending and operating on the musculoskeletal system. “Orthopedics is a medical specialty that focuses on the diagnosis, care, and treatment of patients with disorders of the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and skin” (Career in Orthopaedics). Depending on the damage the patient has sustained determines how the orthopedic surgeon is able to correct the patient’s injury. In many cases there are multiple ways of correcting the patient’s injury such as; using medical, physical, and rehabilitative techniques to using complex surgical methods. “Typically, as much as 50 percent of the orthopedic surgeon’s practice is devoted to no surgical or medical management of injuries or disease and 50 percent to surgical management” (Career in Orthopaedics). The majority of surgeons, including orthopedic surgeons, prefer to choose the least invasive procedures such as; arthroscopy which is a technological advancement allowing orthopedic surgeons to use special cameras in order to diagnose and treat a joint with minimal cutting and trauma to...