Arushi Bidhuri
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National Sports Day is observed on August 29 to honour Major Dhyan Chand. The day is also devoted to the sports heroes and champions of the country, celebrating their contributions and commitment to giving dignity to the nation. The aim is to inspire people to participate in sports and make it a priority in their lives, as well as to raise awareness of the virtues of sports such as discipline, persistence, sportsmanship, and teamwork. On this National Sports Day, let's also take a look at sports injury prevention to avoid complications.
Every sport carries the risk of injury. Fortunately, for the vast majority of young people, the benefits outweigh the risks. At large, the more contact in a sport, the greater the risk of injury. Overuse is the major cause, with excessive stress being applied to tendons, joints, bones, and muscles, on the other hand, is the most common cause of injury in young athletes. The most frequent types of sports injuries are stress fractures, sprains (ligament injuries), and strains (muscle injuries). Ankle and knee joint injuries account for 60 per cent of all sports-related injuries to the lower extremities.
It is critical to include primary injury prevention and make it a public health priority because it will have a significant impact on reducing the long-term consequences of musculoskeletal injuries. 8 per cent of youth drop out of sports due to an injury or fear of injury. According to Emery and Pasanen, "the "best" injury prevention programme is one that athletes, coaches, and sporting bodies can and will adopt and sustain." Injury prevention research has grown in importance and is now being used in the real world. The challenge is to implement cost-effective injury prevention strategies in real-world scenarios.
Sports injury prevention programmes have the potential to reduce the number of injuries as well as their severity and extent. Injury prevention in sports is focused on three areas:
Through neuromuscular exercise interventions, training strategies focus on modifiable intrinsic athlete-related risk factors such as strength, endurance, and balance. Extrinsic risk factors are addressed through rule changes and equipment strategies (e.g., body checking in youth ice hockey, ankle braces, cricketers wearing Standard compliant helmets when batting, wicketkeeping, or fielding close to the batter).
The neuromuscular injury prevention program consists of exercises aimed at:
These programs are introduced as part of an extended warm-up program and include several neuromuscular training components like aerobic, balance, and agility training as well as strengthening exercises. There is evidence that these injury prevention programs are successful in reducing the risk of injury in elite, adolescent, and paediatric athletes.
Although sports rules and policies are essential for regulating the sport, some of these rules and policies have been developed and changed specifically to reduce the risk of injury.
Examples of evidence-based policy and legislative changes include:
The use of appropriate protective sports equipment like taping, bracing, and wrist guards, may help to prevent musculoskeletal injury. The risk of re-injury from an ankle sprain was reduced by 69-71 per cent, by using ankle taping and bracing respectively. Taping or bracing, on the other hand, is not a primary prevention strategy in healthy populations with no history of an ankle injury.
Wrist guards were found to have a significant protective effect in snowboarding, lowering the risk of wrist injuries, wrist fractures, and wrist sprains.
(With inputs from Dr Yogesh K Senior Consultant - Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine, Trauma Consultant, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road)