Quick questions on Classification of sports injuries: HSC PDHPE Sports Medicine

Did you hear a sound? What were you doing? The athlete's account is the single most useful diagnostic input.

Is there warmth (inflammation), unusual texture (palpable defect in a torn muscle), or crepitus (grating sensation suggesting fracture)?

Damage to muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, or other non-bone structures.

Fractures. Broken bones. Categories:

Damage to muscles or tendons. Graded:

Damage to ligaments. Graded similarly:

Damage to soft tissue caused by direct impact, producing internal bleeding without breaking the skin. Common in contact sports. Severe contusions can produce compartment syndrome (pressure build-up that requires emergency treatment).

Abrasions (grazes), lacerations (cuts), blisters (friction-induced fluid-filled lesions), avulsions (skin torn from underlying tissue). Most are minor; the management focus is bleeding control, infection prevention, and cleaning.

Broken bones. Categories:

A dislocation is the displacement of a bone from its joint (e.g., shoulder dislocation in tackles, finger dislocations in basketball). A subluxation is a partial dislocation that returns spontaneously. Both can damage surrounding soft tissue (ligaments, blood vessels, nerves).

Ask the athlete about the injury. What happened? Where does it hurt?

Look at the affected area. Compare to the uninjured side. Look for swelling, bruising, deformity, abnormal position.

Gentle palpation of the affected area. Where is the tenderness most acute? Is there warmth (inflammation), unusual texture (palpable defect in a torn muscle), or crepitus (grating sensation suggesting fracture)?

Ask the athlete to move the affected part themselves. Can they bend the knee? Lift the arm?

The responder moves the affected part for the athlete. This isolates the role of muscle contraction (active) versus joint structure (passive). A meniscal tear may be painless on passive flexion but painful on active flexion.