Published:
Monday, September 12, 2016
Sportification
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) sporting injuries maybe either acute or overuse. Acute injuries consist of sudden trauma such as strains, bruises and fractures while injuries resulting from overuse consist of a series of repeated small injuries.
In a study conducted by Safe Kids Worldwide, August 2014 in the US, 1,000 young athletes, 1,005 coaches and 1,000 parents were surveyed. The study highlighted some alarming findings:
One in four coaches indicated that they did not take any preventative actions to prevent injuries to their players during training or games
Nine out of ten athletes indicated that they were injured while playing a sport, while:
• 54 per cent of the athletes indicated that they played with an injury such as a sprain or a broken bone.
• 13 per cent athletes say they had concussion or head injury
• 28 per cent of athletes indicated that it was normal to commit hard fouls and play rough to ‘send a message’ during the game.
• 50 per cent of the coaches indicated that parents and or players pressured them into putting an injured player back into play.
Less than 50 per cent of the coaches indicated that they were certified in detecting and preventing sporting injuries (www.safekids.org)
As much as sporting injuries may be inevitable at times, every effort should be made to prevent and or minimise their potential negative impact. A number of preventative measures once implemented can assist in reducing the occurrence of injuries.
The use of protective equipment such as helmets, face masks, eye protection, genital cups, dental protection and padding (for examples chest, shin) is critical to preventing injuries or minimizing the impact of forceful contacts.
Prior to Australian Graham Yallop wearing a helmet in 1978 against the West Indies, batsmen did not wear any form of injury preventing headgear. Many batsmen took the blow directly on their heads and the ability to do this somehow reflected their strong masculinity! However, since the 1980’s cricket has seen tremendous improvements in protective gears for batsmen and fieldsmen. Hopefully, with the use of science, the current helmets will absorb a greater amount of force of the ball as well as ensure that the ball does not find its way through the grill and the peak of the helmet.
While the onus is on athletes to wear protective equipment at all times regardless of what level of the sport is being played, manufacturers also take a responsibility to find ways to improve their products so as to help prevent and or minimize injuries.
Sports medicine professionals are obligated to treat each athletes in the most professionally ethical manner. They are not expected to buckle under the pressures of coaches, management, sponsors, parents and even the athletes. This also includes the non-administering of performance enhancing drugs.
Coaches also have a responsibility to ensure that his/her charges are taught all their playing skills within internationally approved means of coaching. ‘Winning at all costs’ or ‘no pain, no gain’ are very risky strategies as well disrespects the safety of athletes.
Coaches are also obligated to point out to athletes all potential injuries especially those related to neck and head. In the absence of sport medicine professionals, coaches and club managements must ensure that personnel within the club are trained in CPR and first aid. This is very important in amateur clubs and other organizations such as schools who may not be able to afford sports medicine professionals.
In addition to aforementioned ways to prevent sporting injuries, there are some universal safety precautions that must always be adhered by persons involved in coaching, treating and managing athletes. As already happens in football, the flow of blood should bring to a stop the injured player/s involvement in the sport activity. All sterilization procedures must be adhered while attending to the injured person. These procedures should include wearing of latex gloves and using germicide soap.
As much as medical attention is to be directed to the injured athletes, every effort should be taken to inform coaches, athletes and other members of the supporting staff about the risks of contracting and spreading contagious diseases especially those related to exposure to blood.
Playing sports should always be conducted in a manner that facilitates exposition of skills and talents without putting the athletes at risk. Preventing sporting injuries falls upon all stakeholders- athletes, coaches, medical professionals, management, sponsors and parents.
Sport
As much as sporting injuries may be inevitable at times, every effort should be made to prevent and or minimise their potential negative impact.