I NJURY AND R ECOVERY Lesson 6

I DENTIFY SIX WARNING SIGNS OF INJURY There is always a chance that you’ll get hurt during physical activity. Your chances of injury increase as you exercise more often. There are two basic kinds of exercise-related injury. An acute injury is an injury that happens suddenly. You usually realize you have an acute injury right away. A chronic injury is an injury that develops over a period of time. It is sometimes hard to recognize a chronic injury.

You should not feel pain when exercising. However, don’t confuse muscle soreness with injury. Muscle soreness is discomfort that happens a day or two after hard exercise. It is a normal result of exercise. It usually happens when you first start exercising or when you change FIT. Muscle soreness usually goes away after you exercise again. However, muscle soreness that doesn’t go away may mean that you’re hurt.

Six warning signs of injury are: joint pain, tenderness in a single area, swelling, reduced range of motion around a joint, muscle weakness, and numbness or tingling. If you experience any of these warning signs, you should tell your parents and your coach or teacher. You may need to see a doctor.

E XPLAIN WHY YOU SHOULD LET AN INJURY HEAL COMPLETELY. RICE is the treatment for most injuries. It is also useful while you heal. RICE stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Rest prevents further injury. Using ice and compressing the injured limb in bandages or tape reduces swelling. Elevating the injury also reduces swelling.

Muscles lose strength, endurance, and flexibility when they are not used. Rehabilitation is the process of regaining strength, endurance, and flexibility while you recover from an injury. If you return to activity before the injury is healed, you are likely to get hurt again. When you start exercising again, slowly build up to the amount of exercise you were doing before the injury.

C OMMON I NJURIES Strain Sprain Fracture Stress Fracture Tendinitis Acute Injury Chronic Injury InjuryType

D ESCRIPTION A strain is a muscle or tendon that has been overstretched or torn. Strains are often treated using RICE. Mild strains can take as little as a week to heal. A sprain occurs when a joint is twisted suddenly and out of its normal range of motion. The ligaments in the joint are stretched or torn. Sprains are treated with RICE and are sometimes placed in a splint or brace. Sprains usually take 4 to 6 weeks to heal. Bad sprains may take several months to heal.

A fracture is a cracked or broken bone. Most fractures are put in a cast or brace to keep the broken bone from moving while it heals. Fractures take 4 to 12 weeks to heal, depending on the location and severity of the fracture. A stress fracture is a tiny fracture that occurs because of too much exercise or bad form. Stress fractures are treated with RICE. They are sometimes put in a brace. Stress fractures may need 8 to 12 weeks to heal. Tendinitis is an irritation of a tendon caused by too much exercise or bad form. It is treated with RICE. Tendinitis can take 4 to 6 weeks to heal.