SEHS terms in Injury

A superficial wound in which the outer layers of skin are scraped off by friction against a rough surface, such as a graze from a fall on a road or artificial pitch.

An injury caused by a single, sudden or excessive application of force, or by a force from an unexpected direction, such as a ligament torn in a tackle or a bone broken in a fall.

A ligament inside the knee running from the back of the femur to the front of the tibia, which stops the tibia sliding forward on the femur and limits rotation of the knee.

A faulty movement pattern, often developed through habit, fatigue, weakness or previous injury, that places abnormal or excessive load on a tissue and increases the risk of injury.

A pocket of fluid between layers of skin caused by repeated friction, for example between a shoe and the heel; a cumulative skin injury.

The application of external pressure to an injured area, usually with an elastic bandage or tape, to limit bleeding and swelling in the first days after an acute injury.

A traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head, neck or body that transmits an impulsive force to the brain, producing a temporary disturbance of brain function rather than visible structural damage.

An injury caused by a direct blow, in which small blood vessels are damaged and blood collects in the tissue, causing a bruise, swelling and pain.

A period of low-intensity activity after exercise that allows heart rate, breathing and blood pressure to return gradually towards resting levels and maintains venous return.

The use of cold, such as ice packs, cold sprays or cold water, to treat an injury, mainly to reduce pain by cooling the tissue and slowing nerve conduction.

An injury caused by the repeated application of force, each load too small to cause damage alone, so that microscopic damage builds up faster than the tissue can repair it.

Modifications of a sport’s rules, equipment or playing conditions for young players according to their age and maturity, designed to reduce injury risk and suit their physical and skill development.

An injury in which the articulating surfaces of the bones in a joint are forced completely out of contact, usually stretching or tearing the joint capsule and ligaments.

An inward collapse of the knee during landing, cutting or squatting, combining hip adduction, hip internal rotation and knee abduction, which increases load on the ACL and the kneecap.

A stretching method in which a joint is moved actively and in a controlled way through its full range of motion, repeatedly, often using movements that resemble the sport.

Raising an injured limb above the level of the heart so that gravity helps fluid drain away from the injured area and reduces swelling.

A feature of the environment in which an individual exercises or competes that increases the risk of injury, such as equipment, surface, weather, rules, opponents or coaching.

A planned programme of stretching exercises that aims to increase or maintain the range of motion at a joint, using static, dynamic or PNF techniques.

A break or crack in a bone, caused by a force greater than the bone can withstand or by repeated loading; classified as open or closed and by the pattern of the break.

An intervention that changes how a person walks or runs, usually using real-time feedback and practice, to reduce the load on an injured or at-risk tissue.

A stepwise programme after concussion in which activity progresses from symptom-limited daily activity through aerobic, sport-specific and non-contact training to full contact and competition, each step usually lasting at least 24 hours.

A layer of cartilage near each end of a long bone in children and adolescents where the bone grows in length; it is weaker than surrounding bone and ligaments until it closes.

The specific action or situation at the moment an injury occurs, such as a landing, tackle or sudden change of direction, which provides the load that exceeds a tissue’s capacity.

The body’s immediate protective response to tissue damage, in which blood vessels dilate and become more permeable, causing redness, heat, swelling, pain and loss of function; the first phase of healing.

Damage to the body’s tissues that occurs when the force applied to a tissue exceeds what it can withstand, causing pain and loss of function.

Any strategy that lowers the likelihood or severity of injury, by reducing abnormal forces on body tissues or by increasing the body’s capacity to absorb and tolerate force.

A characteristic of the individual that increases the risk of injury, such as age, sex, previous injury, fitness, fatigue, anatomy or technique; also called an intrinsic risk factor.

A cut or tear in the skin, often deep and irregular, caused by a sharp object or by a blunt impact that splits the skin.

Pain on the outside of the elbow at the attachment of the wrist extensor muscles, caused by repeated overloading of their common tendon, as in a faulty tennis backhand; also called tennis elbow.

The relationship between the load placed on a tissue and its capacity to tolerate it; injury occurs when load exceeds capacity, suddenly or because repeated loading without recovery lowers capacity.

Pain along the inner border of the lower half of the tibia caused by repeated loading in running and jumping, thought to involve stress reactions in the bone; also called shin splints.

Medicines such as ibuprofen and naproxen that reduce pain and inflammation by blocking the cyclo-oxygenase enzymes that produce prostaglandins; side effects include stomach irritation and possibly slower tissue healing.

A partner-assisted exercise in which the athlete kneels with the ankles held and slowly lowers the upright body forwards, resisting with an eccentric contraction of the hamstrings, used to prevent hamstring strains.

A cause of pain and swelling just below the knee in active adolescents, caused by repeated pulling of the patellar tendon on the growing tibial tuberosity during growth spurts.

An injury caused by cumulative trauma, in which repeated loading of a tissue without enough recovery leads to gradual damage; called a chronic injury when it persists.

Pain around or behind the kneecap, made worse by running, squatting or stairs, caused by excessive load on the joint between the patella and the femur; also called runner’s knee.

Equipment worn by an individual to reduce the risk or severity of injury, such as helmets, mouthguards, shin guards, pads and eye protection.

The overlapping stages of tissue repair after injury: inflammation (the first few days), repair or proliferation (days to weeks, new collagen and capillaries) and remodelling (weeks to months, tissue strengthened and realigned).

The assessment and treatment of injury and movement problems by a trained physiotherapist, using exercise, manual therapy, education and therapeutic modalities to restore function.

Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation: a stretching method that combines a passive stretch with an isometric contraction of the stretched muscle, followed by a further stretch, to gain extra range of motion.

A preventive exercise programme, performed by uninjured individuals, that targets the muscles, joints and movement patterns most at risk in a sport to increase their tolerance of force and lower injury risk.

The angle between the line of pull of the quadriceps and the line of the patellar tendon at the knee; it is larger on average in women because of a wider pelvis.

A method of structuring a warm-up in four phases: raise (temperature, heart rate and blood flow), activate (key muscles), mobilise (range of motion) and potentiate (sport-specific near-maximal efforts).

The structured process of restoring an injured person’s range of motion, strength, neuromuscular control, fitness and confidence until they can safely return to their previous level of activity.

A hormone produced mainly during pregnancy that increases the laxity of ligaments, especially those of the pelvis, so that the pelvis can widen for childbirth.

A staged strategy for returning to school or work after concussion, increasing cognitive load step by step from daily activities to full-time study, with progress guided by symptoms.

The point at which an injured athlete is judged able to resume full training and competition safely, based on medical clearance and objective criteria for healing, function and psychological readiness.

A change in behaviour in which a person takes greater risks because they feel safer, for example when wearing protective equipment, partly offsetting the protection it gives.

Any characteristic of an individual or their environment that increases the probability of injury, without on its own causing it.

A rare but often fatal condition in which a second blow to the head, before the brain has recovered from an earlier concussion, causes rapid and severe swelling of the brain.

An injury to a ligament caused by stretching it beyond its normal range, graded from microscopic tearing of fibres (grade I) to a partial tear (grade II) or complete rupture (grade III).

A stretching method in which a muscle is lengthened slowly to the point of mild tension and the position is held, typically for 15–60 seconds, without movement.

An injury to a muscle or the junction between muscle and tendon, caused by overstretching or a forceful, often eccentric, contraction; graded from mild (grade I) to complete rupture (grade III).

A small crack in a bone caused by repeated loading, when microscopic damage accumulates faster than the bone can repair it; a cumulative injury common in runners and jumpers.

A partial dislocation, in which the bones of a joint move partly out of their normal position and then return, often spontaneously.

An operation to restore the structure of a seriously injured tissue, such as reconstructing a ruptured ligament with a graft, stitching a ruptured tendon or fixing a displaced fracture.

A painful condition of a tendon, usually caused by repeated overloading, in which the tendon’s structure is disorganised and its capacity to tolerate load is reduced.

A treatment used during rehabilitation to relieve pain, support tissue healing or restore function, such as massage, heat, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, hydrotherapy, taping or progressive exercise.

A structured period of activity before exercise, starting at low intensity and becoming progressively more intense and sport-specific, that prepares the body physiologically and psychologically for the activity.