Sport Injury Prevention Anatomy

Chapter 1

Injury prevention requires the thoughtful use of specific exercises, appropriate intensity, proper technique, and sound training practices. If just one of these factors is ignored, effectiveness can be compromised. This book will identify specific injuries and how they typically occur, as well as provide exercises that directly address those injuries. However, an understanding of injury basics is important to effectively use the strategies that will be covered in later chapters. While this book is about reducing the risk of sport-related injuries, many of the principles apply to other activities, including those related to exercise, fitness, and even work.

Injury is relatively easy to understand. An injury is, quite simply, damage to a specific structure that often impairs intended function. There are four parts to this definition:

• Damage indicates that the integrity of the structure has changed (e.g., a break or rupture).
• Specific structure refers to the anatomy involved (e.g., a bone or tendon).
• Impairs means that the structure can no longer fully perform its job (e.g., decreased joint stability or force production).
• Function is a specific goal-oriented task (e.g., running or climbing stairs).

Injury-related damage occurs when the stress experienced by a given structure is more than the structure can tolerate. Stress is not necessarily a problem unless the stress applied is greater than the structure’s maximal tolerance. For example, performing the bench press exercise stresses the muscles involved with the movement, specifically pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, and triceps brachii, but for most people, the stress those muscles experience during a typical repetition of the bench press is well-tolerated and no injury occurs. But what might happen when a novice lifter attempts to perform a One Repetition Maximum (1RM) his first time? Or what can occur when an experienced lifter changes her routine by doubling the volume she is used to using? In the first example, the pectoralis major muscle may not have sufficient strength to tolerate the 1RM attempt; if the force required of the untrained pectoralis major is greater than the amount of force that it can withstand, a traumatic injury can occur to the pectoralis major. In the second example, if the force experienced over a period of time is greater than the pectoralis major has been trained to encounter, an overuse injury can occur. In both examples, the stress experienced was greater than the muscle could tolerate.

Another example is a hip flexor strain for a soccer player. When shooting a soccer ball on goal, the hip flexor muscle fibers (most commonly those of rectus femoris) can tear either partially or completely. This muscle fiber tearing is the definition of a strain. When strained, the rectus femoris can often still perform its task of flexing the thigh at the hip, but it causes pain, which commonly decreases the force that the rectus femoris is able to produce, resulting in decreased velocity when shooting the ball. Referring to our definition of injury, a strain (or tearing of muscle fibers) is the damage, the rectus femoris muscle is the specific structure, decreased force production is the impairment, and the effectiveness of shooting a soccer ball is the function.

One way to define or classify injuries is based on both the structure involved and the mechanism that caused the injury. Some injuries, termed traumatic, are the result of a specific episode, whereas other injuries, termed overuse, occur over time. Both types of injury occur because the involved tissues—like muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones—are unable to tolerate the stresses experienced. Stress is not necessarily a problem unless the stress applied is greater than the structure’s maximal tolerance. For example, performing a typical repetition of the bench press stresses the muscles involved with the movement (specifically pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, and triceps brachii), but for most people, this stress is well tolerated and no injury occurs. But what might happen if a novice lifter attempts to perform a one-repetition maximum (1RM) for his first lift? Or if an experienced lifter doubles the volume of her usual routine? In the first example, if the force required of the untrained pectoralis major is greater than the amount of force that it can withstand, a traumatic injury can occur. In the second example, if the force experienced over a period of time is greater than the pectoralis major has been trained to encounter, an overuse injury can occur.

Chapters

Chapter 1. Understanding Sport Injuries
Chapter 2. Injury Prevention Exercise Principles
Chapter 3. Head, Neck, and Shoulders
Chapter 4. Elbows, Wrists, and Hands
Chapter 5. Spine and Trunk
Chapter 6. Hips
Chapter 7. Thighs
Chapter 8. Knees
Chapter 9. Legs, Ankles, and Feet
Chapter 10. Warm-Up for Injury Prevention
Chapter 11. Injury Prevention Program Design