Autumn 2023 Sports injuries
- Sport injury prevention exercise programmes work but have many challenges
- Myth busting misconceptions about anterior cruciate ligament injury management
- Chronic running injuries
- Objectivity in the upper limb – does it matter?
- Pelvic and groin problems in cycling
- Low-grade inflammation – what is it and why does it matter?
Participating in physical activity and sport is beneficial for health and wellbeing. However, there is an inherent risk of injury. Injury prevention exercise programmes have been proven to reduce the risk of injury in a range of sports, though adherence to them is poor. Preventive interventions that involve research evidence with practitioner expertise and end-users’ experience are deemed important to improve their adoption and sustainability. Increasing our understanding about the complexity of developing preventive programmes and implementing them is important to enhance their impact in real sporting settings.
Vincent Singh
references
When it comes to managing the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, thereis a range of beliefs on how best to do so, and the research does not often feature in the physiotherapist’s view on the subject, mainly because it is often contradictory. This article explores some of the misconceptions about ACL injury management and considers when it
might be best to recommend a patient for ACL reconstruction, and when it might be more appropriate for a patient to be managed solely with rehabilitation methods.
Dr Stephanie Filbay
Running injuries can be divided into two categories – acute and chronic – but most running injuries related to the lower limb tend to be chronic in nature. This article explores how to
identify the differences in running injuries, the treatment approaches that can be taken, and how management can ensure that the patient achieves their goals for recovery.
Sarah Connors
Tobias Bremer
In activities of daily living, occupational or avocational, and in sports it is essential for any person to perform at the levels required. At the upper limb (UL) region there are a vast number of movements that occur either above, in line, or below the shoulder, with either an open or closed kinetic chain mechanism. Specifically in a sports setting, there is also the potential for contact and non-contact mechanisms to occur with objects or other athletes. The pain from injury, whether acute or chronic, can impede activity. Whilst the body is well equipped to heal naturally, in some instances dysfunction remains and there is often no recollection of the trauma, either with or without pain, that led to the dysfunction. This article poses the question of how we can measure function to appreciate dysfunction. It explores the various methods by which we can appreciate UL function in sports, and enhance our clinical approach.
Ian Gatt
Although pelvis and groin injuries tend to be uncommon in cycling, when they do occur they can be difficult and recalcitrant problems and one of the major decisions the practitioners who are looking after cyclists or triathletes must make is to determine whether it is the athlete’s body or their bike which is predominantly at fault. It should be noted that this article first appeared in our In Touch journal in 2013 and is republished on the basis that the content continues to be relevant in the understanding and treatment approach to cycling injuries
Michael Callaghan
Chronic low-grade inflammation (CLGI) is described with pathophysiology, blood tests, and clinical features defined. Risk factors for the development of CLGI are considered and the use of dietary changes and lifestyle features highlighted. Inflammatory changes in osteoarthritis (OA), chronic pain and psychiatric conditions are covered. Therapeutic interventions in the presence of CLGI including exercise, diet and lifestyle changes, and pharmacological interventions are considered.
Christopher Norris
