1997 Volume 1 Issue 1 Sports Medicine

Injury Identification and

Recognition for Coaches
ALAN HODSON

When players sustain injuries in training the coach may be the only one available to deal
with the situation. It is important that the coach possesses a basic knowledge of injury
recognition in order to be able to identify and differentiate major from minor injury.

WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO?
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE BY
ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS BELOW
Injury identification and recognition
Self assessment questions
(for answers see page 35)
1. When a player sustains an injury the
therapist/coach should:
a. Ask questions before touching any body
parts
b. Move the part passively before asking
the player to move it actively
c. Immediately palpate (feel) the damaged
area
d. Ask the player to actively move the
injured part before resisting the players
movements
2. Complete the following.
A player performs active movement before
any attempt to move the injured part passively
because:
5. If a player could not move his/her injured Signs of inflammation
part actively, I would: 1. Heat
a. Progress to move the injured part 2. Pain
passively myself 3. Swelling
b. Offer light resistance to the muscles in 4. Redness/Discolouration
the area 5. Loss of function
c. Stop the injury recognition routine
d. Begin the injury testing routine again The three grades of injury are:
Grade 1: Minor
Note: There may be more than one Signs and symptoms of inflammation nil
correct answer to minimal.
Grade 2: Moderate
Please refer to the answers on page 35. Signs and symptoms of inflammation
noticeable and significant.
If you did not score 5 out of 5 you should Grade 3: Severe
carry on reading. Signs and symptoms of inflammation very
evident, particularly loss of movement.
If you did achieve the maximum score the text
below may contain facts that will add to your
present knowledge or act as a refresher of
this important area.
Injury identification and recognition

When an injury is sustained, there may or

may not be "tell-tale" signs of inflammation
3. When a player is injured the therapist / depending on the grade (or level) of injury:
coach should:
a. Move the body part to check for a
fracture
b.Immediately palpate (feel) the damaged
area for deformity
c. Not wait for the players view but begin
immediately looking at the injured area.
d.Always compare the injured area with
the corresponding part on the other side
of the body

4. List 5 recognition signs and symptoms of

inflammation following injury:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
'SALTAPS
INJURY ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE:
On F.A. Courses we use the term 'SALTAPS'
to explain the injury assessment procedure.
It stands for the following:
S See the initial injury
A Ask the player what happened
L Look for signs of inflammation, deformity,
etc.
T Touch for tenderness, pain, swelling, pins
and needles etc.
A Active: ask for active movements from the
player
P Passive: move the part passively
S Strength: resist movements by player of
injured part
S See
The coach may have seen the injury occur and
will know the mechanics of the injury force.
A Ask
Ask the player what is wrong, where the injury is
etc. Do not touch or move the injured part yet.
Please note
If there is no response to verbal questioning
then the player could be unconscious and
his/her life may be threatened if his/her
airway is blocked. In this case the Emergency
Aid procedure of Cardio-Pulmonary
Resuscitation (C.P.R.) Assessment - A.B.C.
- should be carried out:
Airway
Breathing
Circulation
All coaches receive C.P.R. training on the New
Generation of Courses. F.A. Emergency Aid
Courses are conducted regularly in your area
if you feel you require training or refreshment
of skills.
L Look
Look at the injury site. You are looking for
signs of inflammation.
T Touch
The injured part should be exposed and
gently palpated. Observe the player's face for
response, i.e. a grimace caused by discomfort
or pain. Establish exactly where the problem
is, and also the grade or perceived grade of
injury (see above).
A Active Movement
Up to this point, no movements of the injured
part have been asked for. Only carry out
active movements where there have been no
perceived problems up to this point of the
assessment procedure. The player is asked to
carry out all the major movements associated
with the nearest joint or joints. You should
note the range of movement gained in each
direction, and checking for signs of discomfort
or pain.
A key sign of injury is loss of function, Alan Hodson
i.e. movement. M.A.,DipRG/RT.,DipTP.,Cert.Ed.,MCSP., SfiP,
Head of Medical Education for the Football
In minor injuries, particularly where the player Association. He has been in post for seven
is likely to resume playing, the range of years and is the administrator of the FA
movement will be almost full. In these cases Doping Control Programme.
you can progress to the passive movement
testing. He qualified as a Chartered Physiotherapist in
1972. He was principal of a Physiotherapy
P Passive Movement Testing School in the National Health Service prior to
The therapist/coach moves the body part for joining The Football Association in 1990. He is
the player. The player takes no active part in currently co-ordinating The Football
this at all. With knowledge of how far the Association Medical Screening Programme for
player has moved his joint actively, the Youth Trainees and the Medical Research
therapist/coach moves the part through this Audit of Injuries sustained in Professional
range and a little further, checking all the time Football.
for facial reaction. If this causes no undue
problem, then the therapist will move on to
strength testing.
S Strength Testing
The therapist/coach resists the action of
muscles working over the injured part. Again,
the therapist checks for pain or discomfort
through facial expression and questioning.
If the player passes through the seven areas
covered by SALTAPS assessment, he is then
helped into the standing position for
applicable weight bearing functional tests.
Remember
It is very important to realise that in minor
injuries where the player will carry on, all
stages of the recognition testing will be
carried out. However, in moderate to severe
injuries, the assessment will not be completed
as the signs and symptoms are substantial and
that to continue would cause further injury.
As the grade of injury rises, so do the signs
and symptoms of injury. At some point, a
decision will need to be taken: Is the player fit
to carry on? Sometimes this is a clear cut
decision, but sometimes it is not so clear.
Be guided by what you see, touch, feel and
observe. If in doubt "Steady and Support" the
player and instruct another player to summon
assistance by calling the emergency services.