| |
Sport Injuries
“Sports injuries” are injuries that occur during sport, exercise, or other physical activity. They can affect both professional athletes and recreational participants of all ages. These injuries may involve muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bones, or joints, and can happen suddenly or develop gradually over time. Major patient-information sites commonly group them into acute injuries and overuse (chronic) injuries.
The importance of sports medicine and sports surgery continues to increase. This is due to the growing number of people taking part in sport and exercise, better awareness of the long-term effects of untreated injuries, and the need for accurate diagnosis, effective rehabilitation, and where necessary, specialist surgical treatment.
There are several reasons for this growing importance of sports injuries in modern healthcare and society;
1. Increasing incidence of injuries year by year as the population grows
2. Greater awareness of the possible long-term complications of untreated injuries
3. Changes in lifestyle and living standards, with more people of all ages participating in
recreational and fitness activities (for example skiing, water sports, running and gym-based
exercise)
4. Ever-increasing competition among athletes, both at professional level (for example
career
demands and contracts) and at amateur level (personal achievement and performance)
5. The growing volume and cost of medical litigation related to injury management
There are mainly two types of sport (work) related injuries:
• Acute injuries: occur suddenly during sport or exercise, usually as a result of a fall, twist, collision, blow, or sudden overload (for example ligament rupture, tendon tear, fracture, dislocation, or acute tendon injury)
• Chronic injuries: happen after playing sport or exercising over a long period of time. These are often known as overuse injuries and develop gradually because of repeated stress on the tissues without enough recovery time (for example Tennis Elbow, Runner’s Knee, tendinopathy, or stress fractures)
The sport musculo-skeletal injuries can affect various parts of the body, as following;
1. Contusion: an injury to the soft tissue, often caused by a direct blow, fall, kick, or collision
2. Sprain: an injury to a ligament, often caused by a twist or wrench. Sprains commonly affect
the ankle, knee, or wrist
3. Strain: an injury to a muscle or tendon, usually caused by overstretching, overload, force, or
repetitive use
4. Rupture: a more severe injury which may be partial, complete, or avulsion, depending on the
extent of the damage
B) Chondral (Cartilage) injuries;
Articular cartilage is the smooth, white tissue that covers the ends of the bones inside a joint. Its role is to help the joint move smoothly and with minimal friction. Within the knee joint in particular, there are also two special cartilage structures called the menisci, which act as shock absorbers between the articulating bones. Both articular cartilage and the menisci can be injured during sport.
C) Bone Injuries:
Bone can also be injured during sport. This may occur as a result of a single traumatic event, causing a traumatic fracture. Alternatively, the athlete may develop one of the common chronic bone injuries known as a stress fracture, which is usually an overuse injury caused by repetitive loading and stress on the bone.
D) Joint Injuries:
When any joint of the limbs (for example the knee, shoulder, ankle, elbow, or wrist) is injured during sport, the Sports Specialist should keep an open mind that one or more components of the joint may be damaged. This may involve soft tissues, cartilage, bone, or a combination of these structures.
Khalid Ayoub’s interest in Sport.
I have had a long-standing interest in sport and physical activity in general. In the past, I regularly participated in a variety of sports including football, basketball and volleyball. Over the years, increasing professional and personal commitments have naturally reduced the time available, although I still enjoy keeping fit, cycling, tennis, table tennis and swimming. I also have two teenage sons who share my enthusiasm and motivation for sport.
Following my qualification as an Orthopaedic Surgeon, I undertook specialist training in Arthroscopic (keyhole) Surgery and Sports Surgery. A considerable proportion of the conditions treated by this type of surgery are sports injuries. This has created another valuable opportunity for me to work closely with sportsmen and sportswomen within the community.
Over the last few years, I have become increasingly involved in a variety of local sporting events in the community, including occasional work as a Crowd Doctor and Match Doctor. I have also delivered talks and teaching sessions on Sports Injuries and Sports Surgery to local GPs, medical trainees, physiotherapists and nursing staff. I have been fortunate to work with energetic colleagues in my hospital to help establish a dedicated Sport Clinic, allowing us to manage many sports injuries in a more efficient and effective way.
Khalid Ayoub and the Scottish Premier League (SPL).
My involvement in sport was further strengthened through my official engagement in the Scottish Premier League (SPL) during the 2010–2011 season, when I served as Club Surgeon for Hamilton Academical Football Club (Accies). Alongside the privilege of working more closely within professional football, this role also brought important responsibilities in helping to look after player safety and wellbeing, maintaining fitness, and supporting performance in competitive athletes.
|
|
