Wrestling Injury Prevention
Wrestling, one of
the world’s oldest sports, is offered at various levels of competition,
including the Olympics, the American Athletic Union, the U.S. Wrestling
Federation, and high school and college-sponsored tournaments. It’s a
sport for all sizes of people, and both male and female participants
compete, even at the Olympic level. Competition rules require that
athletes be paired against each other according to their weight class.
Some competitions require that contestants be matched by age,
experience, and/or gender. This not only allows more people to
participate, but also decreases the risk for injury. Nevertheless,
injuries do occur, particularly in the knee, shoulder, skin, and head.
What are the most common wrestling injuries?
The injuries include
concussions, scrapes, bruises, tongue cuts, and cauliflower ear.
However, knee and shoulder injuries occur with more severity than all
other injuries and are responsible for the most lost time, surgeries,
and treatments.
Head and Face
Cauliflower ears are
caused by severe bruising of the ear structure. The resulting injury
may need to be drained and the ear wrapped in a casting material to
retain ear shape once the swelling has subsided. Although difficult to
avoid, wearing headgear is the best defense against this potentially
disfiguring injury. Wearing headgear with a frontal pad can also
minimize the impact of the forehead and help prevent concussions. In
addition to preventing severe tongue and tooth injury, a mouthguard can
help prevent concussion, as well.
Prepatella Bursitis
Prepatella bursitis
is the inflammation of the sac (bursa) located in front of the kneecap
(patella). For wrestlers, this area is constantly hit into the mat,
often causing sharp pain and sometimes swelling. Once prepatella
bursitis has developed, it is treated by anti-inflammatory medication,
such as ibuprofen or Asprin, ice, and rest. Knee pads are designed
specifically for this condition and can be used to try and prevent the
condition, or to diminish the impact to the front of the knee once it
has developed.
Ligament Injuries
Knee ligament injuries can also occur during wrestling,
most
commonly to the inside (Medial Collateral Ligament – MCL) or outside
(Lateral Collateral Ligament- LCL) of the knee. These injuries are often
the result of the leg twisting outward from the midline of the body.
First-degree sprains can be treated with RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression
and Elevation) and the athlete can return when the pain subsides. Second
and third degree sprains need to be treated by a physician, but they
rarely need surgical intervention. Maintaining strength of the
quadriceps and hamstrings, as well as flexibility through the lower
extremities, can help prevent injury.
Skin Infections
With deadly
infections such as MRSA developing in schools across the country,
infection prevention is critical. Epidemics of skin infections have been
known to spread quickly from team member to team member with the three
most common infections in wrestlers being herpes simplex, ringworm, and
impetigo. With so much skin-to-skin contact, it is especially important
to minimize risk by:
o Taking thorough showers before and after practice and matches
o Wearing clean clothing at each practice session
o Sanitizing mats with antiseptic solution after each practice
If an
infection does develop, a doctor should treat it promptly with
antibiotics or antibiotic creams. Wrestlers may continue to drill or
participate in conditioning workouts, but should avoid bodily contact
with other team members until the infection is completely resolved.
How can weight control in wrestling be properly monitored?
Proper
control of diet, preferably with the advice of the coach and a
dietician, is the preferred method of “making weight.” If a wrestler
maintains his weight near his weight class limits, it is then a simple
matter to lose two-to-four pounds to “make weight.” Nutritional advice
should emphasize daily caloric requirements associated with a balanced
diet based on age, body size, growth, and physical activity level.
Recently,
most wrestling associations have adopted regulations to ensure control
of body weight by establishing wrestling minimum weight certification
programs. In these programs, each wrestler must weigh in during the
first two weeks of the season. The athlete’s minimum weight is not
established as the athlete’s best weight, but rather as no less than
seven percent of his/her initial weigh-in.
How can wrestling injuries be prevented?
An injury,
no matter how trivial, should be treated as soon as possible. A small
cut or scrape may not be of much consequence in hockey, football, or
track athletes, but for a wrestler, even a minor infection can keep him
out of a match. Any injury should be reported to the coach, trainer, or
personal physician as soon as possible, so that proper care can be
started. Rehabilitation after an injury is an important part of
preventing further injury, since a large number of all injuries result
from aggravation of an old injury.
Injury
prevention should be a primary goal of all participants, coaches, and
trainers. This requires using good-quality equipment, including mats,
uniforms, headgear, and pads. The wrestler should be coached and
supervised at all times, stressing proper technique and discipline to
avoid injury. Proper officiating can also prevent injuries. Finally, a
well-structured strengthening program conducted under proper supervision can help prevent injury and enhance the athlete’s performance. | Concussion Information
Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Concussions range in
significance from minor to major, but they all share one common factor —
they temporarily interfere with the way your brain works. They can
affect memory, judgment, reflexes, speech, balance and coordination.
Usually caused by a
blow to the head, concussions don't always involve a loss of
consciousness. In fact, most people who have concussions never black
out. Some people have had concussions and not even realized it.
Concussions are
common, particularly if you play a contact sport such as football. But
every concussion, no matter how mild, injures your brain. This injury
needs time and rest to heal properly. Luckily, most concussions are mild
and people usually recover fully.
Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
The signs and
symptoms of a concussion can be subtle and may not be immediately
apparent. Symptoms can last for days, weeks or even longer.
The two most common
concussion symptoms are confusion and amnesia. The amnesia, which may or
may not be preceded by a loss of consciousness, almost always involves
the loss of memory of the impact that caused the concussion.
Signs and symptoms of a concussion may include:
§ Confusion
§ Amnesia
§ Headache
§ Dizziness
§ Ringing in the ears
§ Nausea or vomiting
§ Slurred speech
§ Fatigue
Some symptoms of concussions are not apparent until hours or days later. They include:
§ Memory or concentration problems
§ Sensitivity to light and noise
§ Sleep disturbances
§ Irritability
§ Depression
Symptoms in children
Head trauma is
very common in young children. But concussions can be difficult to
recognize in infants and toddlers because they can't readily communicate
how they feel. Nonverbal clues of a concussion may include:
§ Listlessness, tiring easily
§ Irritability, crankiness
§ Change in eating or sleeping patterns
§ Lack of interest in favorite toys
§ Loss of balance, unsteady walking
When to see a doctor
While most
concussions get better on their own, some blows to the head can cause
more-serious injuries. Seek medical advice if you have any of the
following symptoms:
§ Prolonged headache or dizziness
§ Vision or eye disturbances, pupils that are bigger than normal or pupils of unequal sizes
§ Nausea or vomiting
§ Impaired balance
§ Prolonged memory loss
§ Ringing in the ears
§ Loss of smell or taste
The American Academy
of Pediatrics recommends that you call your child's doctor for advice
if your child receives anything more than a light bump on the head.
Signs that a child who has a head injury needs medical attention include:
§ Loss of consciousness
§ Repeated vomiting
§ Seizure (convulsion)
§ Headache that gets worse over time
§ Changes in your child's behavior, including irritability or difficulty waking
§ Changes in your child's physical coordination, including stumbling or clumsiness
§ Confusion
§ Slurred speech
§ Lasting or recurrent dizziness
§ Blood or fluid discharge from the nose or ears
§ A cut that won't stop bleeding after you've applied pressure for 10 minutes |
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