Sports Injuries
Sports injuries can occur during athletic activities, practices, or exercises.
Sports injuries may result from accidents, poor training practices, use of improper protective gear, lack of conditioning, and insufficient warm-up and stretching.
Articular Cartilage Injury
Articular or hyaline cartilage is the tissue lining the surface of the two bones in the knee joint. Cartilage helps the bones move smoothly against each other and can withstand the weight of the body during activities such as running and jumping. Articular cartilage does not have a direct blood supply to it so has little capacity to repair itself. Once the cartilage is torn it will not heal easily and can lead to degeneration of the articular surface, leading to the development of osteoarthritis.
Meniscal Injuries
Meniscal tears are one of the most common injuries to the knee joint. It can occur at any age but are more common in athletes involved in contact sports. The meniscus has no direct blood supply and for that reason, when there is an injury to the meniscus, healing is difficult.
Sprains and Strains
Sprains and strains are injuries affecting the muscles and ligaments. A sprain is an injury or tear of one or more ligaments that commonly occurs at the wrist, knee, ankle or thumb. A strain is an injury or tears to the muscle. Strains occur commonly in the back and legs.
Tendon Injuries
Tendons are powerful fibrous cords which connect muscle to bone. When you overstretch a tendon, it can rupture (tear) completely or partially. This rupturing of the tendon due to overstretching is known as a tendon injury. You typically feel a snap or popping sensation when you rupture your tendon followed by a sharp pain which is likely to affect your mobility and muscle function. Surgery is often regarded as the best treatment.
Tendon Repair Surgery
Tendon repair surgery is performed to repair a torn or ruptured tendon and restore normal function and movement to the joint. It is usually performed by arthroscopy. An arthroscope is a thin, pencil-like device fitted with a camera and a light source. The arthroscope is inserted through a small incision which allows your surgeon to view images of the torn tendon on a monitor and help operate miniature surgical instruments to perform the surgery.
Sports Medicine Topics
Click on the topics below to find out more from the orthopedic connection website of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
- Exercises for Young Athletes
- Heat Injury
- Muscle contusion (bruise)
- Muscle cramp
- Prevent Golf Injuries
- Prevent Inline Skating Injuries
- Prevent Scooter-Related Injuries
- Return to Play
- Shin splints
- Skateboarding Safety
- Sports Nutrition
- Sprains and Strains
- Stress Fractures
- Women and ACL Injuries
