Sports Injury Rehabilitation

With any sport comes the risk of sports-related injury. Although new regulations and procedures have been developed over the years to prevent damage from being done to players, injuries are sometimes impossible to avoid. The effectiveness of physical therapy and rehabilitation is never guaranteed and many question whether or not players should return to their game after serious injury occurs.

Some claim that as long as athletes follow the proper guidelines for preventing re-injury, such as staying in shape, noticing early signs of injury, and participating in physical therapy, they can avoid future harm to their bodies. It is also believed that post-rehabilitation reoccurrences decrease after treatment targeted towards the damaged area.

Another side of the argument is concerned that multiple occasions of re-injury can cause major difficulties when athletes try returning to their sports. Some common sports injuries such as concussions are more likely to occur after an athlete receives a previous concussion. Often times when serious damage is done to ligaments, muscles, or bones athletes continue to play but their actions are abnormal compared to those athlete who were not injured.

At stake are the careers of many previously injured athletes. Some injuries, those involving the brain and the spine, are sometimes so severe that they lead to death or permanent brain damage. If players continues to re-injure themselves in their sports it could eventually lead to their retirement. Many times, athletes suffer painful symptoms of their injuries for the rest of their lives.

It is a constant effort to develop new medical procedures that can better protect athletes from re-injury. Many new developments have caused sports related injuries and deaths to decline over the years. Also, coaches are becoming better educated on the benefits of proper conditioning and how it can help prevent injuries.

“Common Sports-Related Injuries and the Effectiveness of Rehabilitation in the Prevention of Reoccurrence”

– January, 2012-

This source is a research study that surveyed soccer and basketball players at Ohio Dominican University. The study researched common injuries among the athletes and the methods used to treat the injuries. The study also researched the number of injuries that reoccurred after rehabilitation. This information is important to my issue because it shows the effectiveness of rehabilitation and how likely injuries are to reoccur.

- This source is one I discovered while doing research for my presentation. I searched my issue and this survey came up as a very helpful source.

- This study collected its information from surveys distributed to 84 male and female student athletes who played on the soccer and basketball teams at Ohio Dominican University.

- This study was put on by the Department of Biology at Ohio Dominican University. However, this source is made available to the public by TOJSAT (The Online Journal of Science and Technology). If this study costs money to exist it would be paid for by togsat.net in order to keep the information online.

- This research is directed at scientists because it is a scientific study. But, it could also benefit athletes so that they can educate themselves on the most effective forms of injury treatment.

- Since this source is scientific it is very objective in its point of view. But based off of its research, the study shows that athletes with previous ankle sprains, knee injuries, and shin splints are more likely to experience re-injury to these areas. This source warns athletes with these injuries that they have a good chance of reinjuring themselves.

- This source left out surveys that were not completed properly so some information may have been lost. Also, it seems unlikely that some of the most basic treatment options, such as ice and rest, were not followed for all injuries according to the statistics.

“Sports-Recurrent Brain Injuries – United States”

- March 14, 1997 –

This report explains the dangers of second impact syndrome among athletes if concussions are not properly treated when they first occur. The risk of receiving a traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases drastically after a person suffers from his or her first TBI. This information is important to my issue because it shows specific risks of repeated sports related injury.

- I discovered this source by researching peer-reviewed academic journals on my issue.

- This report collected its information from a variety of previous reports on the dangers of concussions. Most of the sources it references involve concussions involved in sports.

- This report was produced by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and is now sponsored online by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

- Since this report is sponsored by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it is most likely intended to be seen by athletes, coaches, and athletic trainers so that athletes are aware of the serious consequences that can occur if they do not properly treat their concussions.

- The point of view of this report sees returning to a game or to practice after a hit to the head as an unwise decision for athletes to make. It encourages athletes to be cautious and give brain injuries time to heal.

- This report left out information on what is the proper amount of healing time needed to recover from a TBI.

“Hamstring Muscle Strain Recurrence and Strength Performance Disorders”

-2002-

This study examined athletes who previously suffered from hamstring injuries. 18 of the 26 athletes were found to have strength problems because of their previous injuries. After putting the athletes on personalized rehabilitation programs the athletes returned to their prior level of competition. This relates to my issue because it shows that athletes can make successful returns to their sports after injuries.

- I found this source by researching academic journals on my issue and by trying to find an article similar to an abstract I had found previously.

- This source uses 40 references. Many of them appear to be previous reports on hamstring injuries along with reports on knee injuries and general muscle injuries.

- This report comes from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University Hospital center in Liège, Belgium. The department most likely sponsored the study and the report was published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

- This study is directed at a scientific audience, specifically doctors who have knowledge of muscle injury.

- This article’s point of view sees personalized therapy as the best way for athletes to recover. Rather than following a generic rehabilitation routine, athletes are much more likely to make a full recovery if their therapy is directed at their personal weaknesses.

- The study left out information on the one person who did not make a full recovery from the treatment.

“Study Shows Lace-up Ankle Braces Keep Athletes on the Court”

-July 8, 2011-

This study examined a large number of student athletes to determine the effectiveness of ankle braces. A significantly higher number of injuries occurred to athletes who were not wearing ankle braces compared to those that were. This pertains to my issue because it shows that there is equipment that is effective at reducing sports injury recurrence.

- I arrived at this source by discovering sportsmed.org and then discovering the archive of articles the site has available from Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach.

- This source received its information from a study performed on 1,460 male and female high school basketball players. The research was lead by Timothy A. McGuine, PhD, ATC.

- This news release was sponsored by The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM).

- This article is intended to reach student athletes in order to encourage them of the benefits of protecting their ankles with ankle braces before or after experiencing an ankle injury.

- The point of view of this article encourages all athletes to wear ankle braces because ankle braces are so common for non-injured and previously injured players.

- This report is leaving out information on whether or not ankle braces weaken natural ankle strength because the joins become reliant on the extra support.

“Meniscal Injuries”

This gives an overview of the various types of meniscal injuries that can occur. Meniscus injuries are very common among athletes. Articles such as this are important to my issue because they show the options available to repairing and recovering from injuries. Surgeries and physical therapy procedures are explained.

- I arrived at this source by researching Timothy A. McGuine, Phd, ATC who I learned about from my previous source. He works in the University of Wisconsin Health Department and while researching him I found articles on many injuries on the UW Health website.

- This article refers to 4 other articles on meniscal repair and therapy.

- This source was paid for by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

- This article is intended to inform patients who will be needing meniscal repairs or people who are concerned about others who are receiving meniscal repairs.

- The point of view of this informative article is that there are many options and many different types of meniscal injuries and there are many ways to make successful recoveries from the injury.

- This article does not go into the specifics of surgeries on meniscal repairs but it is thorough at explaining the symptoms and long term effects of the injury.

In order to explore the rehabilitation process of sports related injuries, five local sources were identified that could give further insight on the subject from multiple points of view. These sources have a variety of views on the topic whether it be that they personally experienced a sports related injury or, it is just their job help injured athletes.

Coach Dave Peterson

Dave Peterson (Coach Pete) has played and coached soccer for over 30 years in the Eugene area. He is the head coach of the University of Oregon Women’s Club Soccer Team. Coach Pete is a useful contact for my topic because he could explain the injury prevention training programs that coaches incorporate in their practices.

Matthew S. Shapiro, M.D.

Dr. Shapiro specializes in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, and elbow. He has worked at The Slocum Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine for 12 years. He could help with my topic by explaining what sports injuries are serious enough to keep athletes from returning to their sports.

Lauren Holton

Lauren Holton is a current soccer player on the University of Oregon Women’s Club Soccer Gold Team. Lauren previously tore her ACL before playing soccer in college. Lauren is an important source for my topic because she can explain the rehabilitation process she had to go through in order to make a full return to playing soccer.

Candace Sumner

Candace Sumner has been a physical therapist at the University of Oregon Health Center for the past 3 years. She specializes in chronic pain conditions, orthopedics and manual therapy. She is a valuable source for my topic because she deals with young patients, many of which may be athletes hoping to return to their sports.

Synergy Medical Systems

The trained staff at Synergy Medical Systems specializes in issuing medical equipment. Some of the equipment and braces they sell are worn by athletes when they return to their sports after recovering from their injuries. The employees here can explain to me how the braces restrict movement to prevent injuries from reoccurring.