Sports Injury Assessment
Chapter 4 or 5
Injury Evaluation Process
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Symptom: Athletes perception of his or her
injury.
Sign: Objective, measurable physical finding
regarding the individuals condition.
HOPS- History Observation Palpation Special
tests
SOAP- Subjective Objective Assessment Plan.
HOPS- History
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History: Attitude, mental condition, and
perceived physical state.
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Stated by the athlete.
Primary Complaint
Mechanism of Injury
Characteristics of the Symptoms
Limitations
Past History
HOPS- Observation and
Inspection
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Observation: Measurable objective
signs.
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Appearance
Symmetry
General Motor Function
Posture and Gait
Deformity, swelling, discoloration, scars,
and general skin condition
HOPS- Palpation
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Rule out FX (fracture)
Skin temperature
Swelling
Point tenderness
Crepitus
Deformity
Muscle spasm
HOPS- Palpation
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Cutaneous Sensation (nail bed refill)
Pulse
HOPS- Special Tests
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Functional Tests
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Active Range of Motion (AROM)
Passive Range of Motion (PROM)
Resisted Manual Muscle Testing (RROM)
Stress Tests
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Ligamentous Instability Tests
Special Tests
HOPS- Special Tests
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Neurologic Tests
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Dermatomes
Myotomes
Reflexes
Peripheral Nerve Testing
Sport-Specific Functional Testing
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Proprioception and Motor Coordination
HOPS- Special Tests
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Sport-Specific Skill Performance
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Throw the football, baseball, softball,
javelin...
Kick the soccer ball, football, opponent…
Macarena, Cabbage Patch, Mash Potato
SOAP- Subjective
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History: Attitude, mental condition, and
perceived physical state.
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
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Stated by the athlete.
Primary Complaint
Mechanism of Injury
Characteristics of the Symptoms
Limitations
Past History
SOAP- Objective:
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Observation: Measurable objective
signs.
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



Appearance
Symmetry
General Motor Function
Posture and Gait
Deformity, swelling, discoloration, scars,
and general skin condition
SOAP- Objective
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




Rule out FX (fracture)
Skin temperature
Swelling
Point tenderness
Crepitus
Deformity
Muscle spasm
Cutaneous Sens.
Pulse
SOAP- Objective
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Functional Tests
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Active Range of Motion (AROM)
Passive Range of Motion (PROM)
Resisted Manual Muscle Testing (RROM)
Stress Tests
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Ligamentous Instability Tests
Special Tests
SOAP- Objective
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Neurologic Tests
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Dermatomes
Myotomes
Reflexes
Peripheral Nerve Testing
Sport-Specific Functional Testing
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Proprioception and Motor Coordination
SOAP- Objective
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Sport-Specific Skill Performance
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

Throw the football, baseball, softball,
javelin...
Kick the soccer ball, football, opponent…
Macarena, Cabbage Patch, Mash Potato
SOAP- Assessment
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Analyze and assess the individual’s
status and prognosis
Suspected injury Site
Damaged Structures Involved
Severity of Injury
Progress Notes
SOAP- Plan
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Immediate treatment given
Frequency and duration of treatments
and modalities and evaluation
On-going patient education
Criteria for discharge/return to play
On The Field Assessment
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History:
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Location of Pain
Presence of abnormal neurological signs
Mechanism of Injury
Associated sounds (snap, crack, pop)
On The Field Assessment cont.
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Observation:
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Check the surrounding area
Body positioning
Movement of the athlete
Level of responsiveness
Primary survey
Inspection for head or neck trauma
Inspection of the injured body part
On The Field Assessment cont.
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Palpation
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Joints
Bones
Soft tissue
Skin temperature
On The Field Assessment cont.
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Functional Testing
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Active Range of Motion (AROM)
Passive Range of Motion (PROM)
Resistive Range of Motion (RROM)
Weight Bearing
On The Field Assessment cont.
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Stress Testing
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Ligamentous stability
Neurological Testing
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Cutaneous
Motor
On The Field Assessment cont.
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Vital Signs
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Pulse
Respiratory Rate
Blood Pressure
Temperature
Skin Color
Pupils
Disposition
On The Field Assessment cont.
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Moving the Athlete
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Ambulatory Assist
Manual Conveyance
Spine Board
Pool Extraction
Physician Ordered Tests
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Blood Test
Radiographs
Computed Tomography
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Radionuclide Scintigraph (Bone Scan)
Ultrasonic Imaging
Electromyography