VMBO Year 3 · Support and movement · Section 5.6
Injuries
What is an injury?
An injury is damage to body tissues, often occurring during sport or other activity. Pain may start immediately or become noticeable later. Muscles, tendons, bones and joints can all be affected.
Muscle soreness and repetitive strain
Delayed-onset muscle soreness often appears after unfamiliar or unusually demanding exercise and usually settles over several days. Persistent or severe symptoms need assessment. Repetitive strain injury, or RSI, is an umbrella term for complaints associated with repeated movements or sustained loading. Tennis elbow, involving pain around the tendons on the outer elbow, is one example. Varying activities, building load gradually and allowing recovery can reduce the risk.
Fractures and knee injuries
A fracture is a crack or break in a bone, often caused by a fall or impact. X-rays can help identify it. Bone fragments may need alignment and support while healing; treatment can involve a cast or, in some cases, plates or screws.
A meniscus tear can occur when the body twists while the foot stays planted. The menisci are cartilage structures in the knee. Twisting injuries may also damage supporting or cruciate ligaments.
Bruises, sprains and dislocations
A bruise results from tissue damage and bleeding from small vessels beneath the skin. A sprain occurs when ligaments at a joint are overstretched or torn, for example at the ankle. Cooling through a cloth can help relieve pain and swelling after some injuries; ice should not be applied directly to the skin.
A dislocation occurs when the joint surfaces are forced out of their normal position. It requires medical assessment; do not try to put the joint back yourself.
Reducing injury risk
A warm-up gradually prepares the body for exercise. Suitable equipment, technique, progressive training and recovery also matter. A cool-down gradually reduces activity after exercise and can help the transition to rest. It does not reliably prevent delayed muscle soreness, which is not simply caused by waste products remaining in the muscles.
Glossary
- Fracture
- A crack or break in a bone.
- Cool-down
- Gradually reducing exercise intensity at the end of activity.
- Bruise
- Tissue damage involving bleeding from small blood vessels beneath intact skin.
- Meniscus
- One of the cartilage structures in the knee that distribute load and help stabilise the joint.
- Inflammation
- The body's response to tissue damage or infection, often involving swelling, heat, redness or pain.
- Dislocation
- Displacement of a joint's bone surfaces from their normal position.
- RSI
- An umbrella term for complaints involving muscles or tendons associated with repeated movements or prolonged loading.
- Muscle soreness
- Muscle discomfort, often occurring after unfamiliar or unusually demanding exercise.
- Sprain
- An injury in which ligaments around a joint are overstretched or torn.
- Warm-up
- Gradually increasing activity before training or competition to prepare the body.