Classify and describe the 3 most common injuries in your sport.

National Rugby League (NRL) is a popular contact sport where there is an

opportunity for each player to receive or obtain an injury. The three most common
injuries include; knee ligament injury, shoulder dislocation and ankle sprains.

A knee is made of three basic components, the tibia, patella and femur. Attached to
these 3 bones are four ligaments, two cruciate ligaments and two collateral
ligaments. The ligaments keep the bones in place and allow for movement to occur
with the security of stabilisation and protection. A Knee ligament injury is classified
as a soft tissue injury that is usually obtained due to collision, making it a direct
injury. typically when two players come in in contact and a blunt force hits their knee
such as often experienced in a NRL tackle, although this incident usually needs to
occur with speed. There are 4 main types of ligament injuries an individual can
experience in their knee; the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, Posterior
Cruciate Ligament (PCL) injury, Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) injury and Lateral
Collateral Ligament (LCL) injury. ACL is one the most feared amongst athletes, in
NRL it is known to be a undeniably a season ending injury. Without a working ACL
athletes generally cannot change direction without the knee joint collapsing. Even
with modern medical advancements this injury can keep a player out of the sport for
up to 12 months, with surgery.

The shoulder joint is one of the human body’s most mobile joint, but since it is the
most mobile it is unfortunately the easiest one to dislocate. This injury is classified as
a hard tissue injury that is obtained due to collision or being struck with an object
classing it as a direct injury. A dislocated shoulder presents itself when the ball of
your humerus (upper arm bone) forcefully leave its regular position with the shoulder
socket in the shoulder blade (scapula). In event of a shoulder dislocation the
individual will experience extreme pain and inability of the use of their arm until the
shoulder is relocated back into the socket. There are two types of shoulder
dislocation; complete shoulder dislocation or shoulder subluxation (partial shoulder
dislocation). Shoulder dislocation is common in a NRL tackle or during a fall as these
incidents occur at high speed and traumatically often when an individual’s arm is out
to the side.

Ankle sprains are extremely common with all NRL players, known as a soft tissue
injury, it is obtained regularly through rapid and frequent changes in direction making
it out to be a direct injury. The ankle joint is a hinge joint that is formed between the
tibia, fibula and talus (bones of the lower leg and foot) to ensure that the foot s able
to bend in an upwards motion (dorsiflexion) and a downwards motion
(plantarflexion). This joint also enables a small amount of rotation. More than 80% of
ankle sprains are on the lateral side of the foot. This include when the foot being
twisted inwards and sprained, often experienced whilst running or sports such as in
NRL. the other. Whilst under 20% of ankle sprains occur on the medial side of the
ankle such as eversion sprains or the foot twisting outwards, often experienced in
running and sports such as NRL.
 Outline the actions that can be undertaken to assess and manage one of the
injuries.
An ankle sprain has the potential to become worse if proper assessment and
management procedures aren't followed through.

Before any assessment and management towards the sprain, DRSABCD should be
checked to ensure that the patient is conscious, breathing and gives consent the
individual to assess and manage their injuries.

The best method of assessment for an ankle sprain is TOTAPS. Firstly talk to the
individual, ask them what happened, where does it exactly hurt and what kind of pain
is it and can you tell me the severity of the pain on a scale of 1 to 10. Then the
injured area should be observed, the individual assessing the injury must look for
swelling, redness, abnormalities in comparison to the unaffected ankle. The
assessor must then touch the injured area lightly to feel if it is warm and to observe
whether pain is increased in the affected area when any sort of pressure is applied.
The player is then asked to portray some active movement to show that they can
move the injured area without assistance. If the player is successfully able to perform
active movement then e or she is required to produce a passive movement of
moving the injured part of their body with an entirely full range of motion. And lastly if
the player has been able to successfully portray active and passive movement they
will be asked to perform a skills test. The player will need to show that they are able
to perform their sport specific skills. For example the athlete can take a part in a
beep test, this particular test can test the athletes ankles strength on various speeds.

In regards to TOTAPS the athlete’s sprained ankle injury is to be treated first before
the athlete can move on to the active movement, passive movement and skills test
area of TOTAPS. The best treatment for a sprained ankle is RICER as it is a soft
tissue injury. First you must rest the injured ankle to minimise further damage. Then
the affected area is to be iced as this is an effective way to reduce pain and spasms.
There are 4 rules that must be followed apply ice to the affected area. First wrap the
ice in a damp towel, never placing the ice directly upon the skin. Secondly make sure
ice is applied as soon as possible after the injury. Thirdly apply the ice for 20 mins
every 2 hours for the first 48-72 hours. Lastly reduce the ice during rehabilitation if
an swelling or pain persists. You must then compress the injured area as this will
help reduce swelling and if need be any bleeding. The injured area must then be
elevated above the level of the athletes heart to reduce blood flow to the injured area
to reduce swelling, without cutting off circulation. After these steps the athlete must
be referred to a sports medicine or other professional being, so they can receive the
correct treatment for the specification of their sprained ankle and to ensure that they
will be able to get back on their feet and take part in participating within their sport on
the field as soon as possible.

NO HARM should also be applied as no heat should be applied to the injury, no

alcohol should be consumed by the athlete, the athlete must not take part in any
activities or running and there should be no massage applied or inflicted towards an
upon the sprained ankle.

These precautions and procedures will ensure that the athletes sprained ankle
completely heals properly and within a timely manner.

Discuss how physical preparation strategies may help to prevent injuries in

your chosen sport.
Physical preparation strategies are essential to provide maximum preparation to
ensure an athlete does not incur any sort of injuries. Although there is still no
guaranteed policy to ensure that athletes won’t obtain any sort injuries whilst
participating in sport. Mental and physical readiness and stability are essential to
take part in a sport and they are the responsibility of both the participating athlete
and the sports coach. Physical preparation is tested in the following ways: pre-
screening, skill and technique, physical fitness and warm up, cool down and stretch.

Pre-screening an athlete gives information upon their medical history and condition.
Pre-screening assesses an athletes current fitness levels to make sure the athlete
doesn’t have an past or present to be future injuries that could potentially affect the
way they perform. The information received also helps create a specific training
methods and skill development techniques to cater to the athletes strengths and
weaknesses. NRL players usually go through 2 types of pre-screening inclusive of
medical screening which is more essential for older athletes in comparison to new
athletes who haven’t taken part in a consistent form of physical activity before. This
type of screening also identifies those who will be at risk of complications such as
asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure when exercising, which allows
preventative guidelines and management to be professionally organised and put into
place. Whilst physical screening is used to establish the musculoskeletal condition(s)
of the specific athlete and is usually performed before the season starts, usually
during the preseason phase of training. Also as of 2016 all NRL players are required
to undergo a heart scan before they take the field for the year. Players may also
undergo MRI scans preseason and then re-tested if they suffer a concussion so any
damage to the brain can be monitored. This clearly benefits the team and the
athlete, placing both the athlete and the team’s best interest in place.

Skill and Technique are essential needs for an athlete as they ensure a lower risk of
an sort of injury If an athletes skill development and technique poor in NRL can
lead to an increase risk of obtaining an injury during play or training. The risk of
obtaining an injury is not only to the player themselves but also to another team
member around the player considering the players poor execution. An example is
that correct tackling technique in NRL is necessary to prevent neck, shoulder and
head injury. Correct technique when ‘packing into a scum’ in NRL to prevent neck
injury. Poor skills and Technique can be built through proper training and practice
with a coach to benefit the athlete, and is a form of preventative action towards
injury.

Physical fitness is not just inclusive of the athletes physical abilities, and being able
to get through a game without fatigue but also their health and skill related
components. To maintain a physically fit bodily status, all year round, constant
maintenance, required to minimise injury. Health related components of physical
fitness include; cardiovascular fitness ensuring that the heart is able to pump blood
around the body at all time with ease. Body composition ensuring that the body is
made of water, muscle and fat. Flexibility, muscular and muscular endurance are
tested as well. The skill related components of fitness include: speed, agility,
balance, coordination, reaction time and power. An athlete must meet the
requirements for these health and skill related items as it ensures that the athlete
avoid overuse injuries or incorrect technique injury at all costs, especially a NRL
player as it makes sure their cardiovascular health is well along with their muscular
health.

Before beginning any sport or ending sport an athlete must warm and cool down.
These stretching sessions potentially help the body prevent injuries. Warming gives
you the benefits of increasing year heart and breathing rate, which is extremely
important for NRL players as they wouldn't want their heart to be at shock if they
suddenly were to workout. Warm ups also enhance flexibility within the elasticity of
soft tissues. It also increases blood flow in which exercise related problems are
decreased by the increase of coronary blood flow. Warm ups also reduce fatigue,
improve strength and improve mental preparation, increasing the athletes focus
whilst reviewing skills and strategy before getting into the NRL game. Whilst cool
downs ensure and reduce the chance of dizziness after a long game, slowly
reducing the amount of adrenaline in the blood and especially reducing the potential
for ‘delayed onset muscular soreness’ (DOMS).

Therefore showing that the 4 physical preparation components; pre-screening, skills

and techniques, physical fitness and warm up, cool down and stretching only provide
benefits to NRL player, considerably reducing the risk potential of them incurring an
injury of any kind.
Critically analyse the role of sports policies, rules and equipment in promoting
safe participation in sport.
Sports Policy and Sports Environments play and essential role in promoting safe
participation in sport in various ways, to reduce potential injury and meet legal duties
of care. The risk management for all aspects is obtained through; rules of sports and
activities, modified rules for children, matching of opponents, e.g. growth and
development and skill level, use of protective equipment and safe grounds and
facilities.

Rule of sports and activities are laws that are set i place by an organisation(s) to
protect all participants and spectators and minimise all potential risk of injury for any
given individual. All sport a recreation centres have the duty to provide a safe
environment, for the participants, spectators and coaches. Many rules have been set
in place to ensure the safety of all NRL athletes. First being the heat rules, where
factors such as if the venue is inside or outside, what is the surface type, time and
duration of the even, the given temperature and many other factors are taken into
consideration, in the end tallying up and providing a score. If the score is above 75 it
is recommended that the event, training or physical activity is cancelled. If the score
is between 66 to 74 it is recommended that the event be cancelled or rescheduled
and if it is to go in things such as extra breaks, shade and fluid replacement should
be encouraged. These conditions continue and the heat policy gives more leeway,
the lower the score is. Although this impacts the players by an uncertainty in some
situations if the game will be allowed to commence it is at the players best interest
even though it may frustrate them. The heat policy positively affects NRL players,
making sure that their health is not endangered in any way, and that the current
situations keep them all safe from any potential injuries that may affect them in future
events and trainings. A National Safety Code is also put in place to ensure maximum
safety. Therefore, proving that Rules of Sports and activities do influence the
minimum of prevention of injuries towards athletes.

Modifies rules for children contributes to a safer, more enjoyable and a increasingly
satisfactory experience. These modifications differ from age group to age group. For
example the Under 6 Model field size has been reduced from 68m x 30m to 40m x
20m to let the children enjoy without feeling fatigue because of extreme amount of
running for their body. Team members have been reduced from 8 to 6 player so that
the children get a more hands on and involve experience, game duration has been
decreased again to assist with fatigue problems though tackles have increased by
two for enjoyment. In comparison the 12 years play by regular rules except that there
are 13 team members and field size has been adjusted to 100m x 68m to it their
needs better. Rule are modified differently for each age group, so they can enjoy the
sport without receiving potential health or physical injuries such as fainting from
dehydration and fatigue, as this clearly positively impacts the children. These
modifications are made so children can build their skills. An example of this
modification Is Walla Rugby or Mini Footy, the modified versions of NRL Therefore,
proving that it keeps them safe from potential injuries whilst still letting them enjoy
NRL in the safest way possible

Matching of opponents their growth development and skill is essential as each

individual reach their potential bone and muscle development at different ages and in
different ways. When children are put into teams they should be matched based on
weight, size, skill and ability rather than their age, as a more even match will
encourage them to participate in the competition as they may feel it is more balanced
and fair. This opinion is supported by Russell Crowe who is regular at NRL with his
sons age 14 and 11. As he quotes; “the single greatest move that Rugby League
needs to make right now is to switch all junior competitions to weight not age. No 11
year old should be swung through the air by a player twice his/her weight. It’s
unsafe, and patently unfair.” (quoted from www.mouthofmoms.com.au). He is
determined to make these changes so parents are reassured that the welfare of their
kids is always top priority. Therefore, showing that this can only positively impact
both parents and the young participants ensuring the safety from injury.

The use of protective safety equipment is essential and different for each and every
sport. It is important for each NRL player to use protective equipment that is regularly
checked and maintained. For a NRL player protective head gear is worn to prevent
any lacerations or abrasions, although the head gear will not reduce the risks of a
concussion being obtained. Professional advice is to be seeked for footwear as it
differs for each individual athlete. A mouth guard must also be worn at all times,
preferably custom fitted. This is needed so the teeth and mouth will be protected
from the tackles faced by the athlete during the event or training. Preventative ankle
taping and bracing can be done to reduce any injury risks and is recommended for
those who have had previous injuries in the area. Therefore, this portrays that the
use of protective equipment is essential to have maximum safety from potential
injuries.

Safe grounds, equipment and facilities are an important part as people are more
likely to participate in a sport, whether it be as an athlete, coach or spectator. Local
councils have the responsibility of keeping ground and courts maintained, as well as
the permanent equipment such as goal posts. The club holds responsibility for things
such as the ball to be kept in shape and to the proper safety guidelines. For example
changing rooms, showers, toilets, playing field quality, playing field drainage,
emergency access and more are essentials and are provided by the local councils
for their rights upon the ground that they maintain. This shows that NRL teams are
not afraid to ask local councils for their needs which the fulfil in order to maintain a
prevention of potential injury that could be cause by grass or drainage issues. This
clearly portrays that these conditions positively impacting the athletes, therefore,
keeping them safe.
To conclude these 5sports policy and sports environment sectors ensure that all
athletes are taken care of and any potential to incur injuries is minimised as much as
possible, so that all athletes, coaches and spectators can enjoy whilst feeling safe.