Research Paper on Musculoskeletal Injury

Bone: Any form of acute and traumatic damage to the bone often creates a fracture. Furthermore, various types of fractures are caused by such injuries including closed, open, avulsion, greenstick, comminuted and epiphyseal fractures (Kernan & Matuszak, 2008). Techniques used in managing the fractures of the bone vary depending on the bone involve but some of the common techniques include internal fixation, open reduction and simple casting. Overuse or chronic bone injury often results into stress fractures and in some case, causes apophysitis in athletes with immature skeletons.

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Joints: In-case of direct traumatic impact on the joint or any supporting structure in the body, dislocations and subluxation are likely to occur. A dislocation occurs when there is total displacement of the joined surfaces preventing them from making contact in the normal manner. On the other hand, subluxation is an incomplete displacement of the surfaces of the joint which are usually not severe. In an event of a dislocation or subluxation, a significant amount of damage can occur to the joint ligaments. Chronic/overuse injury to the joint normally results to synovitis which can then be transferred to the whole of the joint or otherwise localized in a given region (Kernan & Matuszak, 2008). In most cases, it leads to the swelling in the joint that result into erythema, and pain that can easily be confused with the occurrence of an infection in the joint area.

Ligaments: Sprains or tears refer to the acute injuries that occur in the ligamentous structure. Furthermore, these are usually classified in-terms of the degree of the damage that takes place on the fiber of the ligament. As such, first degree type of sprain may also result to the disruption of only a couple of muscle fibers which typically leads to mild, pain, swelling and disability without necessarily causing joint instability. On the other hand, a second degree sprain normally means that there are a considerable amount of fibers that have been torn and this is manifested by increased level of swelling, disability and pain and upon physical examination, some joint instability might be realized. Finally, third degree sprains are a product of total damage of the ligaments which causes severe swelling and pain together with definitive joint instability upon physical examination. Furthermore, the instability that is experienced in the joints can be seen through the level of separation that has occurred. Therefore, 1+ is the displacement of 3-5 mm, 2+ a displacement of 6-10 mm and 3+ referring to a displacement greater than 10 mm. noteworthy, chronic damage to the ligaments is not common but when they occur, they are characterized by plantar fasciitis, medial elbow injury and breaststroker's knee (Kernan & Matuszak, 2008). Such injuries take place whenever one experiences a repeated stress on the ligament and not as a single defining.

Muscle-Tendon Unit: Injuries on the muscle-tendon unit are usually referred to as strains occur as a result of indirect impact on the tendon unit and not a direct trauma. More often, this condition occurs as a result of contraction of the muscle similar to the condition of Achilles tendon ruptures. Just like with the sprains, strains are also graded in-terms of first to third degree strains. As such, first degree strain is characterized by the damaging of just a few muscles or tendon fibers whereas a third degree strain is characterized by a complete damage of the tendon unit. Athletes experiencing a third degree strain have the capability of producing strong contraction of the muscle but the action comes with the associated pain. On the other hand, the ability of the athlete to make a strong contraction is reduced by a second degree strain and the action is associated with more severe pain. The rapture of the entire muscle-tendon unit which is also referred to as a third degree strain does not allow any voluntary contraction or allows very minimal contraction (Boris & Freddie, 2013). Noteworthy, the third degree strain does not cause any pain although the chances of the associated muscles to enter spasm are very high and the process is extremely painful.

A direct trauma on the muscle-tendon unit can result into deep contusion of the muscles especially when brachialis and quadriceps muscles are involved. Additionally, the contusion of the muscle can lead to a condition whereby the formation of bones takes place at the center of the contusion especially after the formation of hematoma referred to as myositis ossificans. Myositis results into various known syndromes that take place at the insertion or the origin of the muscle. Shin splints and medial and lateral epicondylitis are some of the common symptoms exhibited by those who are affected. Tendonitis on the other hand takes place in the presence of inflammatory reaction inside the tendon tissue it occurs in three major regions including the rotator cuff, the biceps tendon and Achilles tendon. According to Reynolds and Davis (2011), it results when inflammatory changes inhabit the tissues located close to the tendon in question. Classically, the condition is responsible for the production of crepitation when the tendon is moving through its sheath.

Description of Injury

Musculoskeletal injuries affecting the joints, shoulder, ankle, feet, elbow, hand, and knee are common among competitive athletes. The condition may either be acute or chronic and is a major cause of morbidity complications and associated illnesses. Normally, the conditions are not life threatening unless they result into severe hemorrhage. Nevertheless, they are the leading cause of long-term disability and morbidity. The condition can also be a sprain, a strain or a dislocation depending on the nature of the injury. Tearing of the muscles, ligaments and tendons constitute a sprain or a strain while a dislocation is characterized by moving of the bones. In-case the condition is not managed on a timely and effective manner; it can cause long-term sequelae which includes among others limb deformities, improper functioning of the joint, loss of viability in limbs and permanent neurological dysfunction. In consideration to children, there could be growth-plate injuries or premature growth arrest. More importantly, it is necessary to identify the priorities for treatment in children with multiple injuries. Studies suggest that approximately 25% of a total of 6300 adults are subjected to musculoskeletal injury within a period of 12 months and out of these 83% of the cases were as a result of taking part in activities of some sort (Hootman et al 2002). Furthermore, women are more susceptible and those who engage in the same activities as men seem to be at higher risk of suffering from the disorder. Musculoskeletal injury is related to a wide range of medical specialties which include orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine and sports medicine.

Anatomical Structures

The major anatomical structures involved in the disorder include those that make up the muscle as well as the skeletal system such as the bone, joints, ligaments and muscle-tendon unit and specific mechanism of the damage are discussed below.

Joints: In-case of direct traumatic impact on the joint or any supporting structure in the body, dislocations and subluxation are likely to occur. A dislocation occurs when there is total displacement of the joined surfaces preventing them from making contact in the normal manner. On the other hand, subluxation is an incomplete displacement of the surfaces of the joint which are usually not severe. In an event of a dislocation or subluxation, a significant amount of damage can occur to the joint ligaments. Chronic/overuse injury to the joint normally results to synovitis which can then be transferred to the whole of the joint or otherwise localized in a given region (Kernan & Matuszak 2008, p. 44). In most cases, it leads to the swelling in the joint that results in erythema, and pain that can easily be confused with the occurrence of an infection in the joint area. When the joint is damaged around the neck, the compounded effect results in stiffness of the neck and associated pains as exhibited by the neck tension syndrome.

Ligaments: Sprains or tears refer to the acute injuries that occur in the ligamentous structure. Furthermore, these are usually classified in terms of the degree of the damage that takes place on the fibre of the ligament. As such, first-degree type of sprain may also result in the disruption of only a couple of muscle fibres which typically leads to mild, pain, swelling and disability without necessarily causing joint instability. On the other hand, a second-degree sprain normally means that there are a considerable amount of fibres that have been torn and this is manifested by the increased level of swelling, disability and pain and upon physical examination, some joint instability might be realized. Finally, third-degree sprains are a product of total damage of the ligaments which causes severe swelling and pain together with definitive joint instability upon physical examination. Furthermore, the instability that is experienced in the joints can be seen through the level of separation that has occurred. Therefore, 1+ is the displacement of 3-5 mm, 2+ a displacement of 6-10 mm and 3+ referring to a displacement greater than 10 mm. noteworthy, chronic damage to the ligaments is not common but when they occur, they are characterized by plantar fasciitis, the medial elbow injury and breaststroker's knee (Kernan & Matuszak 2008, p. 47). Such injuries take place whenever one experiences a repeated stress on the ligament and not as a single defining. Similarly, the impact on the ligament affects the neck muscles; especially if it occurs on the upper section of the body at the region connect the shoulder and neck. As a result, the neck tension might occur.

Muscle-Tendon Unit: Injuries on the muscle-tendon unit are usually referred to as strains occur as a result of the indirect impact on the tendon unit and not a direct trauma. More often, this condition occurs as a result of contraction of the muscle similar to the condition of Achilles tendon ruptures. Just like with the sprains, strains are also graded in-terms of first to third-degree strains. As such, first-degree strain is characterized by the damaging of just a few muscles or tendon fibres whereas a third-degree strain is characterized by a complete damage of the tendon unit. Athletes experiencing a third-degree strain have the capability of producing strong contraction of the muscle but the action comes with the associated pain. On the other hand, the ability of the athlete to make a strong contraction is reduced by a second-degree strain and the action is associated with more severe pain. The rapture of the entire muscle-tendon unit which is also referred to as a third-degree strain does not allow any voluntary contraction or allows very minimal contraction (Boris & Freddie 2013, p. 101). Noteworthy, the third-degree strain does not cause any pain although the chances of the associated muscles to enter spasm are very high and the process is extremely painful.

A direct trauma on the muscle-tendon unit can result in deep contusion of the muscles especially when brachialis and quadriceps muscles are involved. Additionally, the confusion of the muscle can lead to a condition whereby the formation of bones takes place at the centre of the contusion especially after the formation of hematoma referred to as myositis ossificans. Myositis results into various known syndromes that take place at the insertion or the origin of the muscle. Shin splints and medial and lateral epicondylitis are some of the common symptoms exhibited by those who are affected. Tendonitis, on the other hand, takes pl...