A-Level Physical Education

A-LevelPhysical Education Sports Injuries – Lesson 3

Research innovative techniques to enhance recovery from exercise, possibly with the use of technology. Extended Learning

Full recovery is essential to: • Regain pre-injury performance levels. • Prevent the injury from reoccurring. If the injury is a result of an imbalance or poor biomechanics and the issue isn’t addressed, it is likely the injury will reoccur. Recovery from injury

Light aerobic exercise • Stretching • Therapeutic massage • Contrast showers • Complete rest (sleep) • Ice baths • Food • Hydration Soft Tissue Recovery Aids

REST • ICE • COMPRESSION • ELEVATION As soon as the performer stops. 15 minutes on – 20 minutes off. Controls internal bleeding & swelling. Helps to control swelling. Above the level of the heart. Helps to reduce swelling and inflammation. Immediate Treatment

RICE is the proper structure of immediate treatment for soft tissue injuries. It can help to reduce pain and speed up recovery. It should be continued for 48 hours. “Wish I was in Cardiff with the ‪#madtaffs‬ instead I'm at home and have to ice the legs every 2hrs for the next 2days!!!”

….has generally, in the past, involved: • Rehydration • Warm downs • Replenishing energy stores • Massage ….we then started to make use of ice baths to further enhance recovery! Recovering from Intense Exercise

….is a method of recovery through cooling! • The ice in RICE is a simple form of this – as is an ice bath. • A more complex method is the use of cryogenic chambers. Cryotherapy

…should we do it? • Traditionally the answer has been no, but this is changing. • During recovery from long term injuries athletes can work on strength and flexibility. • This may be linked to ensuring the injury does not reoccurr. • Continuing aerobic training would be ideal, but may have to use another method of movement to avoid stress on the injured area. Training when injured....

Injuries to limbs are often caused during explosive movements when there is an imbalance or biomechanical deficiency. • Even actions which focus on limb movement e.gthrowing & kicking still involve a kinetic chain of muscles, joints and neural components. • A weakness in one area can cause an injury in another. • Therefore, the rehabilitation phase is likely to focus just as much on the non injured areas of the kinetic chain. • If rehabilitation focusses solely on the injured area, it is likely that the injury will reoccur. Core strength

Can be used to maintain cardiovascular fitness through their usual movement pattern. • It takes a lot of strain away from the injured area as our body weight is reduced to around 10%. • There is also resistance from the water which can be further increased with an increased speed of movement and the use of floats. • Equipment is also advancing to enhance aquatic therapy. *** Water-based Training

A basketball player twists their ankle in a game and has to leave the court. • Describe the immediate treatment that they should use. (4 marks) Warm up and warm down are useful in preventing injury and in aiding the recovery process after intense exercise. • What activities would you include in the warm up and why? (4 marks) Extended Learning

A-Level Physical Education