Assessment of Injuries Lecture 6

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Assessment of InjuriesLecture 6
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Assessment

• with a sports related injury the athletic
  therapist is expected to evaluate the situation ,
  assess the extent and seriousness of the injury
  and determine the necessary next step
• ie. treatment, referral to physician, hospital
  etc

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Assessing an Injury

• History,
• Observation,
• Range of motion,
• Special tests and
• Palpations

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History

• history taking requires practice and patience and
  involves asking lots of questions
• the therapist must listen and establish a rapport
  with the athlete
• a complete history includes
• primary complaint , mechanism of injury , extent
  of pain, disability due to the injury , pervious
  injuries and family history

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Observation

• is a visual analysis of the overall appearance,
  symmetry , motor function , posture and gait of
  the individual
• often the therapist will see the injury happen,
  however many times they will not
• in observation the therapist will note the
  individuals willingness to move, ability to move,
  did they walk in, crutches etc

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• here a posture assessment may be performed
• inspect the injury site
• deformities, discoloration , swelling , scars,

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Range of Motion
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I) Active Range of Motion

• shows their ability and willingness to move
• is joint motion performed voluntarily by the
  individual
• determines possible damage to contractile tissue
• measures muscle strength

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II) Passive range of motion

• body part is move with no assistance from the
  injured individual
• distinguishes injury to noncontractile tissue
  (bone, ligament, bursae)

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III) Resisted movement

• outside resistance is added to the movement
• isometric contraction
• assess muscle strength

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Special Tests

• 1) Stress tests
• each body segment has a series of special tests
  to assess joint function and integrity
• test ligaments, intra-articular structures,
  impingements and joint capsule stability

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• 1) Neurologic testing
• nerve roots named by where they depart the
  spinal column
• each nerve root supplies nerve impulses to a
  series of muscles and an area of skin
• myotome a group of muscles innervated by a
  single nerve root
• dermatome a region of skin supplied by a
  single nerve root

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• 3) reflex testing
• exaggerated, distorted or absent reflexes
  indicate degeneration or injury to the nervous
  system
• most familiar patella reflex or knee jerk (L3)

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Palpation

• bilateral palpation of paired anatomical
  structure can help to detect
• temperature changes, swelling, point tenderness,
  crepitus, muscle spasm, pulses and sensations
• palpate painful area last, start on uninjured
  side and compare

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