Sports Injuries – using the correct equipment
Taping – provides stability to the joint
prevents ligament injuries
Bracing – to provide support, without limiting mobility
- However, limit movement where ligament has been over stretched
- Used during rehabilitation and recovery
Protective equipment - aid towards preventing impact/penetrative injuries
- Fitted correctly, meet NGB standards
Clothing: Cool/Warm/Sweating
Helps to prevent environmentally related dangers – hypotermia/heat
exhaustion/heat stroke
• Marathon De Sables
Importance of Warm up/Warm Down
• Post exercise warm downs are of benefit on performance/injury
prevention and recovery
• W/D should be designed to decrease injurious effects of the
performance/training session
• To prepare performer for next session
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HOW? Prevents;
blood from pooling in the limbs
Lactic acid building up in the muscles
Helps muscles and tendons to relax/loosen
Stiffness/tightness of muscles/joints
Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness
• Condition caused by damage to the muscle fibre and connective tissue
• Inflammation and increased local muscle temperature
• Caused by intense muscular activity and eccentric muscle contraction
• Possible research may suggest Lactic Acid may also be a cause
• Avoiding DOMS/recovering:
• Carry out an active/dynamic warm up
• When beginning an exercise programme, avoid strenuous eccentric
muscle action (plyometrics)
• Gradually increase intensity/duration
• Carry out extra eccentric contraction exercises
• Active warm down/Theraputic warm down
Exam Question
Prevention and Rehabilitation
• Sports science and technological research are essential to the provision of
rehabilitative processes.
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Cyrogenic chambers
Computerised axial tomograhpy (CAT/CT)
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Electrotherapy
Ultrasound
Acupuncture
• Hyperbaric chambers
• Oxygen tents
• Ice baths
Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy
• Hyperbaric Chambers
• Inhalation of Oxygen under high pressure – in pressure chambers
• Boosts white blood cell activity in damaged parts of the body:
– Controls infection
– Constricts blood vessels – diminishing blood flow to injured region
– Reduces pressure and swelling
Not proven to be effective in all sports, although football clubs and
athletes have used the procedure.
Oxygen Tents
• Canopy placed over the head and shoulders, or over the entire body
• Provides an oxygen rich environment
• Endurance athletes use oxygen tents to try and improve VO2 max
• Or to aid recovery from injury more quickly
• Hypoxic Tents (however) – stimulates high altitude by maintaining a lower
oxygen concentration
• Used to stimulate the body’s natural adaptations to altitude – facilitating
the production of more oxygen-carrying red blood cells and haemoglobin
Ice Baths
• Ice – (RICE) reduces internal bleeding (due to vasoconstriction) and flow of
fluids from damaged cells
• Controls inflammation and swelling
• Cryotherapy – cooling therapy to treat chronic/acute injuries
• Ice baths used as post-match recovery in contact sports – as ice is used to
treat strains and sprains
• A Cryogenic chamber is cooled with liquid nitrogen, to a temp of -110 C.
• Treatment for muscle and joint pain – where athlete is placed in a
chamber for only a few minutes
• Pain relief can last up to 6-8 hours after treatment