Ethical sports injury treatment prioritizes an athlete’s long-term health over immediate performance, respecting their autonomy in recovery choices and ensuring informed decisions. Health professionals and coaches must avoid pressuring athletes to return prematurely, promoting consistent care for all players to prevent further harm.
A bone fracture is a painful injury that occurs when a strong force hits your body. Such injuries happen most often during contact sports like football and hockey.
Common Symptoms:
- Severe Pain at Site of Injury
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Inability to Move
- Numbness or Tingling
How Bone Fractures can be treated:
For minor to moderate fractures, often a cast, sling, or some type of brace will be enough to heal.
For more intense fractures/breaks, surgery is required before full healing can occur.
Shin splints refer to a sharp lower leg pain, caused by inflammation of the tibia (shin bone). This happens most to runners/track athletes.
Common Symptoms:
- Pain along the inner edge of the shinbone
- Tenderness and soreness
- Mild swelling
- Pain that worsens with exercise
How Shin Splints can be treated:
First step is to rest and ice your legs. Apply cold compress to help relieve swelling and pain.
After some time, it’s necessary to stretch and slowly increase activity level, to help acclimate to regular movements.
A sprain is an injury to a ligament, which is composed of tissue that connects different bones together in a joint. It can be caused by sudden twisting movements along with falls and direct impact to the joint.
Common Symptoms:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Limited Range of Motion
- Instability
How can Sprains be treated:
R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate)
Physical Therapy and Stretching: Calf stretch, Ankle circles, Ankle pumps, Heel raises.
A dislocation is an injury where the ends of the bones in a joint are forced out of their normal positions. This can happen in any joint but is most common in the shoulders, fingers, elbows, knees, and hips. This can be caused by twists, sudden impact, and falls.
Common Symptoms:
- Pain
- Deformity
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Numbness
How Dislocations are treated:
Repositioning of the Joint: Puts the bone back into place
Immobilization: Puts injuries area in a splint, sling, or brace
A concussion is caused by a blow to the head or sudden, forceful movement that causes the brain to shift within the skull. This impact leads to temporary changes in brain function due to the brain's movement and possible stretching of brain cells.
Common Symptoms:
- Headaches
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Sensitivity to light or noise
How Concussions are treated:
Rest and reduced activity: Avoiding physical and mental activities that can strain the brain, allowing it to heal.
Gradual return to activity: Slowly reintroducing activities as symptoms improve, often guided by a healthcare provider to avoid re-injury.
A seizure is caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain, which can lead to sudden, uncontrolled body movements, behavior changes, or altered awareness. This can result from factors like epilepsy or head injuries.
Common Symptoms:
- Uncontrolled Movement
- Loss of Consciousness or Awareness
- Staring spells, appearing "Spaced Out"
- Sudden confusion
How Seizures can be treated:
Medication: Anti-seizure medications help regulate abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
Lifestyle adjustments and triggers management: Reducing known triggers, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, and managing stress can help prevent seizures.
A muscle strain occurs when a muscle is stretched too far or torn. This can happen when an athlete makes a sudden movement, overuses a muscle, or uses a muscle incorrectly.
Common Symptoms:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Limited Muscle Function
- Instability
Muscle Strains and Tears can be treated by:
Strains can be treated similarly to sprains, using R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate).
For severe tears such as meniscus and ACL tears, surgery can be required. Surgery can take several months to recover from. Once an athlete is ready, they can start physical therapy and rehab utilizing exercises related to the muscle they tore. With enough time (4-8 months), the injury should be healed properly.
A muscle bruise is an injury to the muscle fibers, connective tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. A bruise is caused by a direct, blunt blow to the body. A muscle bruise generally occurs most on the major muscle groups such as hamstrings, quadriceps, triceps, etc.
Common Symptoms:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Discoloration in the Skin
- Stiffness
How Muscle Bruises can be treated:
R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate).
A cut is caused when the skin is broken by a sharp object, such as a knife, glass, or metal, or by blunt trauma that splits the skin. This injury results in an open wound that may bleed and requires cleaning to prevent infection.
Common Symptoms:
- Bleeding
- Pain
- Redness
- Bruising
Surface Cuts can be treated by:
Clean the wound: Rinse with clean water to remove debris and reduce the risk of infection, then gently pat dry.
Apply pressure and bandage: Use a clean cloth or sterile bandage to stop bleeding, then cover with a bandage to protect the area while it heals.
Turf burn is caused by friction between the skin and artificial turf, which scrapes away the top layer of skin. This often happens when athletes slide or fall on synthetic surfaces, leaving a painful abrasion.
Common Symptoms:
- Redness and Rawness of Skin
- Pain or Stinging
- Bleeding and Oozing
- Swelling
Turf Burn can be treated by:
Clean the wound: Gently rinse with water to remove debris and reduce infection risk, then pat dry.
Apply an antibiotic ointment and bandage: Use ointment to prevent infection, then cover with a non-stick bandage to protect the wound as it heals.