Wrestling has a higher injury rate than most sports. Knees and shoulders are especially prone to injury. To minimize risk, improving flexibility and proper technique should be emphasized during practice.
Common Wrestling Injuries
- Acromioclavicular joint separation (AC separation), is caused when the collar bone separates from the shoulder blade. This is typically caused by a fall on the point of the shoulder or a blow received to the shoulder.
- Contusions and bruises are blunt injuries to soft tissue of muscle. Usually there is discoloration caused by bleeding into the soft tissue.
- Dislocation or injury to the upper and lower extremities.
- Meniscal tears, caused by twisting, pivoting or cutting the knee. These tears often happen in combination with other injuries such as a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
- Pre-patellar bursitis affects wrestlers, because they spend a lot of time on their knees. The condition occurs when small sacks (bursa) around the knee become inflamed. A padded knee support may be needed to help this condition.
- Pulled muscles, sprains and strains in the feet, ankles, knees and shoulders. A sprain is an injury to a ligament, which connects bone to bone.
Assessing the severity of an injury can be difficult. When in doubt, seek the advice of a doctor.
Injuries may cause:
- Limited range of motion
- Loss of strength
For minor soccer injuries, think PRICEMM- Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Motion and Medicine. This will help limit swelling and further tissue damage, maintain range of motion and return the athlete to sports as quickly and as safely as possible.
Seek immediate medical attention for any of the following:
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and cartilage tears. Female players are especially at risk, because of weaker quadriceps and hamstring strength, muscle-firing patterns, the shape of their thighbones, estrogen ratios and sometimes poor pre-season conditioning.
- All athletes should stretch hamstrings and quadriceps and participate in strength-building exercises for these muscles, to help prevent serious injury.
- ACL injuries most often result from plant-and-twist motions. Adolescents have a high risk reoccurrence and a high potential for premature arthritis. Surgery is often necessary to repair ACL damage.
- Concussions are caused by a blow to the head. Symptoms may include confusion, short term memory problems and loss of consciousness.
- Fractures are breaks or disruptions in a bone. They may occur from one blow (acute) or from repetitive use (stress fracture). The severity ranges from mild hairline cracks to compound fractures breaking the skin.
- Hip and pelvis injuries canresult from sudden bursts of movement. These are actually injuries to growth plates (areas in the bone where bone growth occurs and muscles attach), which remain open until the late teens (after puberty). Avoid injury with proper pre-season and pre-event stretching of the leg and hip muscles.