Sports Injuries Understand; Observe; Respond Walkathon Preparation

Definitions  Injury: damage or harm to a part of the body  Sports injury: injury caused by participation in a sporting event  Types of injuries: bruise; wound; burn; fractures; concussion; sprain; shock  Types of sport injuries: stress fracture, blisters, heel spur,shin splints, runners knee

Conditions on Walkathon Course  Varying camber i.e. tilt of the road or sidewalk  Differing surfaces e.g. sand, asphalt  Weather conditions i.e. sun, heat, wind, rain, salt spray  Traffic flow (people, bicycles, vehicles)  Water availability and use  Participant abilities and desires  Pre-existing conditions

Injury Prevention for Participants (Top 6 Tips)  Warm Up and Cool Down  Wear the proper clothing  Drink plenty of non-alcoholic liquid  Stay alert to course conditions  Pay attention to your body  Make an ‘activity’ plan

Stages of a Sports Injury  Activity  Trauma to the body  Damage to the cells  Inflammation (including pain, swelling, heat, redness, loss of function)  Treatment

What might I see? Alert!!!  Excessive redness  Excessive swelling  Excessive sweating  Wincing  Limping  Cries of pain  Bleeding  Disorientation

What might I see? Alert!!!  Appearance of moderate discomfort  Heavy breathing  Excessive stopping during the event  Spasms/Convulsions  Holding/Sudden grabbing of body parts e.g. stomach, chest, side, leg  Falls/Trips  Vomiting  Delirium/Hysterical behaviour

What might I hear??? Alert!!  Complaints: Headache Extreme fatigue Pain Light-headedness Nausea Muscle ache ‘I pulled something’ ‘I can’t see’

How do I respond?  Approach the runner/walker (stop the participant if necessary)  Show concern - Ask a question about the visual ‘anomaly’ or ‘their compliant’ e.g. why are you limping? Why do you have a headache? Are you diabetic?  Look for visual aids e.g. medical bracelet  Offer a solution – shade, more water, first aid

How do I respond?  Call for help if the problem is moderate – severe  Be firm (yet gentle) if the situation warrants e.g. an injured participant should not be allowed back into the event regardless of how fine they say they are.  Continue to care for the injured until help arrives or until you consider them ‘fit for participation’. Do not ignore them

Treatment of Sports Injuries  R – Rest  I – Ice  C – Compression  E – Elevation  R - Referral

Treatment of Sports Injuries  T – Talk  O – Observe  T – Touch  A – Active Movement  P – Pass Movement  S – Skills Test

Care Services at Walkathon  First Aiders (APS)  Ambulances  Airport Nurse  Roving bus/Pick up service  Lots of pairs of alert ‘eyes’

Overall Event Goals  Fun Event  Zero Accidents  Alert Organisers  Responsive Services  100% happy participants and staff