Sports injuries

Sports injuries are injuries that occur during sports or exercise in general. In the United States, approximately 30 million people participate in some form of organized sports. Of those 30 million, about 3 million athletes aged 14 and under suffer a sports related injury annually. According to a study performed at Stanford University, 21% of injuries observed in elite college athletes caused them to miss at least one day of sports activity, and approximately 77% of these injuries involved the knee, leg, ankle, or foot. The leading cause of death from sports injuries is traumatic head or neck injuries. When an athlete complains of pain, injury, or distress, the key to diagnosis is a detailed history and examination. An example of a format used to guide an examination and treatment plan is a S.O.A.P. note, which stands for subjective, objective, assessment, plan. Another important aspect of sports injury is prevention, which helps to reduce potential sports injuries. It is important to establish sport-specific dynamic warm-ups, stretching, and exercises that can help prevent injuries more common to each sport. An injury prevention program consists of education on hydration and nutrition, monitoring team members at risk, monitoring risky behaviors, and improving techniques. In addition, season analysis reviews, preseason screenings, and pre-participation examinations are crucial in recognizing pre-existing conditions or previous injuries that could cause further illness or injury. One technique that can be used in the process of preseason screening is the functional movement screen. The functional movement screen can assess movement patterns in athletes to find players who are at risk of certain injuries. In addition, prevention for adolescent athletes should be considered and may need to be applied differently than adult athletes. Lastly, following various research about sports injuries, it is shown that levels of anxiety, stress, and depression are elevated when an athlete experiences an injury depending on the type and severity of the injury.