Common injuries

Question 1

What is a common ankle injury?

Answer 1

Achilles Tendinopathy

Question 2

Who has the greatest risk of getting Achilles tendinopathy and how many times greater?

Answer 2

15 times greater risk in runners and 30 times greater risk as they age compared to non-active individuals

Question 3

What are the COMMON causes of Achilles tendinopathy?

Answer 3

Midportion tendinopathy (including tendinosis with or without partial tears).
Insertional Achilles tendinopathy.

Question 4

What are the THREE stages of tendinopathy?

Answer 4

REACTIVE TENDINOPATHY
TENDON DISREPAIR
DEGENERATIVE TENDINOPATHY

Question 5

What are three causes of Achilles tendinopathy?

Answer 5

An overuse injury.
Using badly designed equipment, including footwear.
Training on sloping surfaces.

Question 6

What are two symptoms of Achilles tendinopathy?

Answer 6

Pain in the heel (may be an ache or sharp pain, which feels worse after activity).
Swelling at the back of the ankle.

Question 7

What is one of the most common knee injury?
What kind of athletes are most prone to getting it?

Answer 7

ACL sprain or tear.
Athletes who participate in high-demand sports like soccer, football, and basketball are more prone to getting it.

Question 8

What are the THREE grades of a ligament sprain? Describe each.

Answer 8

Grade 1 - ligament is mildly damaged. Slightly stretched, but still able to keep the knee joint stable.
Grade 2 - stretches the ligament to the point where it becomes loose. often referred to as a partial tear.
Grade 3 - complete tear. The ligament has been torn in half and pulled directly off the bone, knee joint is unstable.

Question 9

What THREE bones make up the knee?

Answer 9

Femur (thighbone).
Tibia (shinbone).
Patella (kneecap).

Question 10

What does MCL and LCL stand for and where are they in the knee?

Answer 10

MCL - Medial Collateral Ligament is on the inside.
LCL - Lateral Collateral Ligament is on the outside.

Question 11

What does ACL and PCL stand for and where are they in the knee, and what do they make when they cross over each other?

Answer 11

ACL - Anterior Cruciate Ligament is at the front of the knee.
PCL - Posterior Cruciate Ligament is at the back of the knee.
When they cross over each other they form an X.

Question 12

What are THREE causes of an ACL injury?

Answer 12

Slowing down whilst running.
Landing from a jump incorrectly.
Stopping suddenly.

Question 13

What are FOUR symptoms of an ACL injury?

Answer 13

Pain with swelling - within 24 hours.
Loss of full range of motion.
Tenderness along the joint line.
Discomfort whilst walking.

Question 14

Which two imaging tests may a doctor use to confirm diagnosis of an ACL injury?

Answer 14

X-rays.
MRI scan.

Question 15

What are the FOUR muscles in the hip and groin, where do they originate and where do they insert?

Answer 15

Semimembranosus - upper ischial tuberosity - posteromedial medial tibial condyle.
Semitendinosus - lower medial lateral ischial tuberosity - medial condyle of tibia.
Bicep femoris (long head) - medial ischial tuberosity - head of fibula.
Bicep femoris - lower lateral liner aspera - head of fibula.

Question 16

What are the SIX types of tears?

Answer 16

0a.
0b.
1 (mild).
2 (moderate).
3 (extensive).
4 (complete tear).

Question 16

What are the THREE types of injuries in the hamstring?

Answer 16

ACUTE INJURY - direct result of an impact or traumatic event with sudden onset of pain.
OVERUSE INJURY - result of exposure to inappropriately high training load and/or volume over an extended period.
CHRONIC INJURY - reinjury of the same muscle site due to a reduction in function and/or a lack of appropriate healing and rehabilitation.

Question 17

What are THREE modifiable risk factors of a hip and groin injury?

Answer 17

Fatigue.
Flexibility.
High-speed running load.

Question 18

What are the TWO un-modifiable risk factors of a hip and groin injury?

Answer 18

Age.
Previous injury.

Question 19

What is ONE of the things the spine is responsible for?

Answer 19

Protecting your spinal cord

Question 20

How many segments make up the spine?

Answer 20

3

Question 21

How many vertebrae are in each segment of the spine?

Answer 21

Cervical spine - 7 small vertebrae that begin at the base of the skull and end at the upper chest.
Thoracic spine - 12 vertebrae that start from the upper chest and end in the middle of the back and connect to the rib cage.
Lumbar spine - 5 larger vertebrae. They are larger because they carry more of the body’s weight.

Question 22

What does an injury to the spinal cord often cause?

Answer 22

Permanent changes in strength, feeling and other body functions below the site of the injury

Question 23

The ability to control your arms and legs after a spinal cord injury depends on which TWO factors?

Answer 23

1 - where the injury occurred in the spinal cord.
2 - how bad the injury is.

Question 24

How can the 'completeness' of the injury be classified as?

Answer 24

COMPLETE - if all feeling and all ability to control movement are lost below the spinal cord injury. INCOMPLETE - if some feeling and control of movement remain below the affect area.

Question 25

What are THREE symptoms of a spine injury?

Answer 25

Loss of bowel or bladder control. Loss of movement. Trouble breathing, coughing or clearing secretions from the lungs.

Question 26

What are TWO causes of a spine injury?

Answer 26

A sudden, traumatic blow to the spine can fracture, dislocate, crush or compress one or more of the vertebrae. A gunshot or knife wound that penetrates and cuts the spinal cord can also cause a spinal cord injury.

Question 27

What is the percentage of shoulder injuries in swimming?

Answer 27

47-90%

Question 28

What THREE bones make up the shoulder?

Answer 28

Collarbone (clavicle). Upper arm bone (humerus). Shoulder blade (scapula).

Question 29

What runs around the edge of the shoulder socket?

Answer 29

The labrum

Question 30

What are the TWO types of dislocations?

Answer 30

COMPLETE DISLOCATION - the joint surfaces are completely separated. PARTIAL DISLOCATION - the joint surfaces are only partially separated, also called a subluxation.

Question 31

When does the shoulder sliding forwards (anterior) occur?

Answer 31

When the shoulder dislocates while the arm is raised away from the body.

Question 32

When does the shoulder sliding backwards (posterior) occur?

Answer 32

When the shoulder dislocates while the arm is raised in front of the body. Usually happens following a seizure.

Question 33

What are SIX of the symptoms of a shoulder injury?

Answer 33

Deformity. Swelling. Numbness. Weakness. Bruising. Pain - you may experience muscle spasms from the dislocation, and this can make it hurt more.

Question 34

What are the TWO different tears of the rotator cuff?

Answer 34

PARTIAL TEAR - does not completely detach the tendon from the bone. FULL-THICKNESS TEAR - there is detachment of part of the tendon from the bone.