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Acute Knee and Ankle Injuries: Mechanisms, Diagnosis, and Management Study Guide

Learn about the common causes of acute knee and ankle injuries, including ligament tears and sprains. Understand how these injuries occur, the signs and symptoms to look for, and the diagnostic methods used by healthcare professionals. Discover the various treatment and rehabilitation strategies available to manage these injuries and prevent long-term complications. This guide covers topics such as ACL and MCL injuries, ankle sprains, avulsion fractures, and the importance of proper management f

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Anatomical Position and Body Movements

Anatomical Position and Body Movements

Review of anatomical planes, directional terms, spinal curvatures, and movements of the joints, ankle, and foot.

  • Anatomical Position
  • Anatomical Planes
  • Median planes
  • Sagittal planes
  • Frontal planes
  • Transverse planes
  • Anterior & Posterior
  • Superior & Inferior
  • Lateral & Medial
  • Proximal & Distal
  • Deep & Superficial
  • Knee Valgus
  • Knee Varus
  • Lordosis
  • Kyphosis
  • Hyperlordosis
  • Circumduction
  • Flexion
  • Extension
  • Rotation

SEM Team and Risk Management in Sport

Sport and Exercise Medicine Team Management

The Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) Team is a multi-disciplinary team of sport science, sport medicine and sport performance professionals.

  • Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) Team
  • Integrated Support Team (IST)
  • Scope of Practice
  • Standard of Care
  • Multi-disciplinary team roles

Risk Management in Sport

The process of identifying, assessing, evaluating, and controlling risks to teams and athletes through injury surveillance and Emergency Action Plans.

  • Risk assessment
  • Risk evaluation
  • Risk control
  • Injury surveillance
  • Injury burden
  • Risk matrix
  • Injury frequency
  • Injury severity
  • Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
  • Sudden cardiac arrest
  • Exertional heat stroke
  • Spinal injuries
  • Head injuries
  • Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
  • SOAP Note

Sport Injury Prevention and Mechanisms

Sport Injury Prevention Fundamentals

  • Benefits of sport participation
  • Youth sport and recreation injuries
  • Consequences of sport injuries
  • Injury mechanism
  • Modifiable risk factors
  • Non-modifiable risk factors
  • Primary prevention
  • Secondary prevention
  • Tertiary prevention
  • Prevention strategies
  • Training strategies
  • Rule modifications
  • Equipment strategies

Neuromuscular Training and Injury Prevention

Neuromuscular training programs utilize balance, strength, plyometrics, and change of direction exercises to reduce lower limb, ankle sprain, and anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

  • Neuromuscular Training (NMT)
  • Injury Prevention Exercise Programs
  • Fundamental movement skills
  • Movement quality and technique
  • Movement control
  • Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury mechanism
  • Noncontact mechanism
  • Knee valgus
  • Internal rotation
  • Mechanical loads
  • Wound healing

Sport Injury Terminology and Healing Process

Sport Injury Terminology and Healing Process

This lecture covers sport injury terminology, modes of onset, soft tissue and skeletal injury types, and the stress-strain curve.

  • Sport injury
  • Acute injury
  • Overuse injury
  • Direct contact injury
  • Indirect contact injury
  • Noncontact injury
  • Soft-tissue injuries
  • Skeletal injuries
  • Articular cartilage
  • Fibrocartilage
  • Ligament
  • Sprain
  • Strain
  • Fracture
  • Rupture
  • Stress-Strain Curve
  • Stiffness
  • Yield point
  • Creep

Treatment, Rehabilitation, and Return to Sport

Treatment, Rehabilitation, and Return to Sport

Elements of diagnosis, principles of treatment and rehabilitation, and return to sport protocols.

  • Elements of Diagnosis
  • Physical Examination
  • Neural Testing
  • Biomechanical Examination
  • Imaging
  • Principles of Treatment and Rehabilitation
  • Acute Stage
  • Rehabilitation Stage
  • Training Stage

Bone Structure, Injuries, and Stress Reactions

Bone Structure, Function, and Injuries

This lecture covers bone tissue types, anatomy, adaptation to training, fracture types, and the stages of fracture healing.

  • Cortical bone
  • Trabecular bone
  • Bone mineral density
  • Osteoclasts
  • Osteoblasts
  • Stress-strain curve
  • Traumatic fracture
  • Pathological fracture
  • Stress fracture
  • Bone contusion
  • Osteitis
  • Periostitis
  • Osteochondral injury
  • Open fracture
  • Closed fracture
  • Fracture healing stages
  • Woven bone
  • Lamellar bone

Bone Stress Injuries and Management

Bone stress injuries involve microdamage production exceeding repair due to repetitive bone loading, ranging from stress reactions to complete stress fractures.

  • Bone stress injuries
  • Microdamage production
  • Bone repair and remodelling
  • Risk factors
  • Low energy availability
  • Spondylolysis
  • Spondylolisthesis
  • Posterior element overuse syndrome
  • Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome
  • Tibial stress fracture
  • Diagnosis and treatment

Osteoarthritis Pathology, Presentation, and Management

Understanding Osteoarthritis Pathology and Management

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the whole joint characterized by degeneration of articular cartilage in synovial joints.

  • Inflammatory arthritis vs. osteoarthritis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Pathology of articular cartilage
  • Risk factors for osteoarthritis
  • Economic impact of osteoarthritis
  • Exercise therapy and education
  • GLA:D Program
  • Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis (PTOA)
  • ACL injury and joint degeneration
  • Pharmacological and surgical treatments

Foundations of Mental Health in Sport

Mental Health in Sports

Foundations of mental health in sports including prevalence, mental illness, prevention strategies, and treatment options.

  • Mental health definitions
  • Mental illness in sport
  • Dual continuum model of mental health
  • Mental health through sports model
  • Sport-specific mental health risk factors
  • Screening tools
  • Mental health literacy
  • Barriers to help-seeking
  • Facilitators to help-seeking
  • Mental performance training
  • Mental fitness
  • Safe sport environments
  • Psychological safety in sport
  • Treatment and support options

The Physiology and Stages of Wound Healing

Physiology of Wound Healing Process

The physiology of wound healing involves four stages including hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodelling.

  • Hemostasis
  • Inflammation
  • Proliferation
  • Remodelling
  • Tissue Strength
  • Nutrition
  • Hypoxia
  • Infection
  • Immunosuppression
  • Chronic disease
  • Wound management
  • Age
  • Genetics
  • Surgical technique
  • Bone and soft tissue loading

Rehabilitation Stages and Return to Sport

Rehabilitation Stages and Return to Sport

Rehabilitation stages involve monitoring pain and swelling, reestablishing ROM, neuromuscular training, and specific training to ensure normal aerobic capacity, strength, and function.

  • Rehabilitation Stage
  • Range of Motion (ROM)
  • Neuromuscular function
  • Proprioceptive training
  • Alternative training
  • Specific training
  • Manual treatments
  • Electrophysical agents
  • Return to Sport (RTS) continuum
  • StARRT Framework
  • Biopsychosocial Model
  • Optimal loading
  • Acute:Chronic workload ratio (ACWR)

Tendon Structure, Function, and Injuries

Tendon Structure, Function, and Injuries

This lecture covers tendon structure and function, including the enthesis and myotendinous junction, and discusses adaptation to training and types of tendon injuries.

  • Tendon structure and function
  • Collagen tissue
  • Tendon enthesis
  • Myotendinous junction
  • Tendon stress-strain curve
  • Adaptation to training
  • Enthesopathy
  • Tendinopathy
  • Tendon rupture

Acute Injury Management and PEACE & LOVE

Acute Injury Management and PEACE & LOVE Protocol

Early treatment goals for acute injury management include limiting bleeding, swelling, and pain to improve conditions for subsequent healing.

  • Acute Injury Management
  • PEACE & LOVE protocol
  • Stages of Tissue Healing
  • Acute stage
  • Subacute stage
  • Chronic stage
  • Early treatment goals
  • Vascularisation
  • Optimism
  • Load
  • Protect
  • Elevate
  • Avoid
  • Compress
  • Educate
  • Exercise

Mechanisms, Assessment, and Management of Acute Knee Injuries

Acute Knee Joint and Ligament Injuries

Mechanisms of acute knee joint injury, clinical implications of ligament ruptures, and physical examination tests for ACL injury.

  • Patellar dislocation/subluxation
  • Valgus mechanism of injury
  • ACL rupture
  • MCL rupture
  • Lateral meniscus injury
  • Anteromedial bundle
  • Posterolateral bundle
  • Anterior drawer test
  • Lachman test
  • Unhappy triad
  • Osteochondral injury

Tendinopathy Diagnosis, Mechanisms, and Treatment

Diagnosis and Treatment of Tendinopathy

Tendinopathy involves persistent tendon pain related to mechanical loading, repetitive microtraumas, and inadequate recovery between loadings.

  • Tendinopathy
  • Enthesopathy
  • Cook–Purdam Model
  • Reactive tendinopathy
  • Tendon disrepair
  • Degenerative tendinopathy
  • Intrinsic risk factors
  • Extrinsic risk factors
  • Diagnosis
  • Physical examination
  • Imaging
  • Rotator cuff tendinopathy
  • Progressive strength training
  • Pain control

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