SPORTS INJURIES @ SALVEO
The goal is not only return to training, but readiness for the demands of sport.
Rehabilitation progresses from symptom control to capacity, speed and sport-specific tasks.
When to seek urgent assessment
PATHOLOGIES AND CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS
Which sports injuries can occur, and what symptoms may they cause?
These are the main clinical concerns, not a self-diagnosis list. Similar symptoms may have different sources and imaging findings do not always explain pain.
Acute muscle and tendon injuries
Muscle strain and tear+
Muscle-fibre injury during sprinting, jumping, deceleration or sudden stretch, commonly affecting the hamstrings, adductors, calf or quadriceps.
- Sudden pain during activity
- Weakness and pain with contraction or stretch
- Swelling, bruising or a palpable defect in larger injuries
Muscle contusion+
A direct-impact injury causing bleeding and swelling within a muscle without an open wound.
- Pain and bruising after contact
- Swelling and restricted movement
- Weakness or pain when using the muscle
Acute tendon rupture+
Partial or complete tearing of a tendon such as the Achilles, patellar, quadriceps or biceps tendon after forceful contraction or trauma.
- A pop and immediate pain
- Sudden loss of strength or function
- A palpable gap, swelling or bruising
Exercise-associated muscle cramp+
A sudden, painful, involuntary contraction during or after activity. Neuromuscular fatigue and individual factors may contribute.
- Sudden intense muscle tightening
- A firm or visibly contracted muscle
- Pain usually easing after stopping and relaxing the muscle
Ligaments, joints and cartilage
Ligament sprain+
Stretching or tearing of a ligament after twisting, contact or movement beyond joint range; grade depends on tissue damage and instability.
- Joint pain and swelling
- Bruising and difficulty loading
- Instability or giving way
Dislocation and subluxation+
Complete or partial loss of normal joint-surface contact. Reduction should be performed by trained personnel after neurovascular assessment.
- Deformity and severe pain
- Inability to move or use the joint
- Numbness, weakness or circulation change requires emergency care
Meniscal or labral injury+
A tear of fibrocartilage that stabilises and distributes load in the knee, shoulder or hip after rotation or repeated loading.
- Deep or joint-line pain
- Clicking, catching or locking
- Swelling and limitation with squatting, turning or throwing
Chondral or osteochondral injury+
Damage to articular cartilage, with or without underlying bone, after trauma or repeated loading.
- Deep joint pain with loading
- Recurrent swelling after activity
- Catching or locking when a fragment is unstable
Post-injury joint instability+
Repeated episodes of giving way after ligament injury, dislocation or incomplete rehabilitation.
- Lack of confidence during deceleration, landing or turning
- Recurrent injury episodes
- Pain or swelling after training
Bone and growth
Traumatic fracture+
A bone break after impact, fall, collision or forceful rotation. An open fracture or neurovascular injury is an emergency.
- Severe focal pain and tenderness
- Swelling, bruising or deformity
- Inability to load or use the segment
Bone stress reaction and stress fracture+
A spectrum of bone injury when repeated load exceeds recovery, potentially progressing from bone oedema to a fracture line.
- Gradual focal pain aggravated by activity
- Clear tenderness over bone
- Pain progressing from sport to walking or rest
Growth-plate injury+
Injury to the physis in children and adolescents, which may be weaker than surrounding ligaments and requires medical assessment.
- Pain and swelling near the end of a bone
- Focal tenderness after trauma
- Limping or refusal to use the limb
Apophysitis and avulsion fracture+
Gradual irritation of a growth-zone attachment or acute removal of a bone fragment by forceful muscle pull.
- Gradual running or jumping pain with apophysitis
- Sudden pain or a pop with avulsion
- Focal tenderness, weakness and limping
Spondylolysis in athletes+
A stress reaction or defect of the lumbar pars interarticularis, more common in sports involving repeated extension and rotation.
- Activity-related low-back pain
- Aggravation with extension, rotation or landing
- Stiffness and sometimes buttock or thigh pain
Overuse and tendinopathy
Load-related tendinopathy+
Reduced tendon tolerance after rapid change in volume or intensity, potentially affecting the Achilles, patellar, gluteal, adductor, hamstring or shoulder tendons.
- Local pain while loading the tendon
- Stiffness after rest or at activity onset
- Reduced strength, jumping, running or throwing capacity
Patellofemoral pain+
Pain around or behind the kneecap related to joint loading, without necessarily implying cartilage damage.
- Anterior knee pain with running, jumping, squatting or stairs
- Pain after prolonged sitting
- Peripatellar tenderness and sometimes crepitus
Medial tibial stress syndrome+
Load-related pain along the posteromedial tibial border, commonly called shin splints; stress fracture and compartment syndrome must be distinguished.
- Diffuse pain along the inner tibial border
- Pain at the start of or after running and jumping
- Tenderness over a long area rather than one focal point
Sport-related groin pain+
Pain associated with the adductors, iliopsoas, inguinal canal, pubic region or hip joint that requires clinical differentiation.
- Groin pain with sprinting, turning or kicking
- Pain with adductor squeeze or abdominal exercise
- Reduced speed and power during direction change
Shoulder pain in the overhead athlete+
A symptom profile involving the interaction of rotator-cuff, labral, capsular and scapular load in throwing, swimming or volleyball.
- Pain while throwing or working overhead
- Reduced speed, accuracy or strength
- Night pain, fatigue or instability symptoms
Head, spine and nerves
Sports concussion+
A traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head, neck or body; loss of consciousness is not required and the athlete should be removed from play for assessment.
- Headache, dizziness, nausea or balance difficulty
- Light or noise sensitivity and visual disturbance
- Slowing, confusion, memory difficulty or mood change
Cervical trauma and spinal-cord injury+
A neck injury after contact, fall or diving with potential vertebral, ligament or spinal-cord involvement. Immobilisation and emergency care are required.
- Severe neck pain after trauma
- Limb numbness, weakness or paralysis
- Breathing difficulty or loss of bladder/bowel control
Brachial-plexus stinger or burner+
Temporary traction or compression of the brachial plexus in contact sport. Bilateral or persistent symptoms require cervical-spine assessment.
- Burning or electric pain from the neck into one arm
- Temporary arm numbness and weakness
- Recurrent or persistent symptoms
Peripheral nerve compression in athletes+
Nerve irritation from posture, pressure or repetitive movement, such as at the ulnar, peroneal or tibial nerve.
- Numbness, tingling or burning in a nerve distribution
- Weakness of associated muscles
- Symptoms related to position, equipment or training volume
Exercise emergencies
Acute compartment syndrome+
Critical pressure rise within a muscle compartment after trauma or bleeding that threatens muscle and nerve tissue. It is a surgical emergency.
- Severe pain disproportionate to the injury
- Pain on passive stretch with a tense segment
- Progressive numbness or weakness; a pulse may still be present
Exertional heat illness and heat stroke+
A spectrum from heat cramps and heat exhaustion to heat stroke with high temperature and central nervous-system dysfunction.
- Weakness, dizziness, nausea, headache or collapse
- Confusion, abnormal behaviour, disorientation or loss of consciousness
- Hot skin; sweating may be present or absent
Exertional rhabdomyolysis+
Excessive muscle breakdown after extreme or unfamiliar exercise that may damage the kidneys and requires urgent assessment.
- Unusual muscle pain, weakness and swelling
- Tea-coloured urine or reduced urination
- Systemic illness, nausea or confusion
Exercise-associated hyponatraemia+
A fall in blood sodium during or after prolonged activity, often related to fluid intake exceeding losses.
- Headache, nausea, bloating or confusion
- Vomiting, drowsiness or abnormal behaviour
- Seizures or loss of consciousness in severe cases
Exertional syncope and sudden cardiac arrest+
Loss of consciousness during exertion may signal cardiac disease; cardiac arrest requires immediate CPR and defibrillation.
- Collapse or loss of consciousness during activity
- Chest pain, palpitations or unusual breathlessness
- Unresponsiveness and abnormal breathing in cardiac arrest
Athlete health and recovery
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs)+
Health and performance consequences of low energy availability in female and male athletes, affecting bone, hormones, immunity and recovery.
- Fatigue, reduced performance and prolonged recovery
- Recurrent injuries or bone stress fractures
- Menstrual disturbance, reduced libido or mood change
Overtraining syndrome+
Prolonged performance reduction with fatigue and mood change after imbalance between load and recovery; medical causes must be excluded.
- Reduced performance lasting weeks or months
- Persistent fatigue, disturbed sleep and irritability
- Frequent infections or usual training feeling unusually difficult
Iron deficiency and anaemia in athletes+
Low iron stores, with or without anaemia, that may reduce oxygen transport and performance; laboratory assessment confirms the diagnosis.
- Fatigue and reduced aerobic capacity
- Breathlessness or rapid heartbeat with loading
- Pallor, dizziness or slow recovery
Descriptions are for orientation. Diagnosis follows history, clinical examination and, only when indicated, imaging or laboratory tests.
ASSESSMENT
What do we examine?
Tests are selected according to history, symptoms and goals rather than a fixed package.
- Mechanism and load history
- Strength, power and control
- Running, jumping and change of direction
- Sport-specific criteria
REHABILITATION PATHWAY
Mechanism, irritability, recent load and sport demands establish the baseline.
Movement, control and strength return while general conditioning is maintained.
Strength, power and tolerance progress towards the athlete’s role.
Speed, deceleration, jumping and change of direction are introduced progressively.
Modified training and specific tasks precede full loading.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Before assessment.
General guidance for this concern; individual decisions follow examination.
When can I start training?
When the injury phase, function and load response allow modified exposure.
Is being pain-free enough?
No. Return also requires physical capacity, specific skills and tolerance for training.
Which tests are used?
Tests are selected according to the injury, sport, position and individual demands.
How is reinjury risk reduced?
By rebuilding capacity, progressing exposure and managing load after return.
PHYSIOTHERAPY
Clinical cases
Assessment, treatment and follow-up from individual rehabilitation cases.
0 cases
No cases have been published in this category yet.
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