Injuries among recreational and competitive athletes occur due to variety of factors and are an inherent risk of almost any sport. The two main injuries are acute injuries and overuse injuries. This article will focus on acute injuries. Acute injuries are caused by a sudden trauma such as a contusion, sprain, strain, or fracture. Sprains are defined as a partial or complete tear of a ligament and strains are defined as a partial or complete tear of a muscle or tendon. Most acute sports injuries consist of soft tissue damage. Signs and symptoms are: pain, swelling, instability, inability to bear full weight, loss of joint motion and weakness. Treatment of acute soft tissue injuries consists of RICE, which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. RICE is employed for the first 2 to 4 days after an injury. The goal of treating the acute injury is to minimize further damage by controlling swelling and protecting the injured joint or muscle.

Rest is important as further activity can cause further tissue destruction. This means stopping the activity and not playing through the injury.

Ice or cold packs should be applied for 15 min every hour to 2 hours to control inflammation. A damp towel between an ice pack and the skin should be used to protect skin from frostbite. If you don't have a commercial ice pack, a big zip-lock bag full of 50% ice and 50% water works well - double bag to prevent leakage. Also frozen vegetables in a plastic bag work well.

Compress the affected part or joint by wrapping an elastic bandage around the afflicted area. Be careful not to wrap too tightly. Compression will protect the area from further injury and help control swelling.

Elevate the affected body part above the level of the heart while icing and resting. This will also control swelling. Of course if you feel you have a serious injury see your Doctor. Signs of a more serious injury include:

  • Visible deformity of body part
  • Severe pain which prevents the use of an arm or leg
  • Inability to bear any weight through a leg.
  • Loss of feeling or numbness and tingling

    Treating an acute sports injury promptly will speed the healing process so you can get back to your favorite sport or recreational pursuit faster. For more information, please contact any of the PT Northwest locations.