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Common Injuries in Athletics
Anatomy of the Shoulder
The shoulder complex consists of three bones: clavicle, scapula, and humerus. These bones join together to form four major joint articulations: sternoclavicular joint, acromioclavicular joint, glenohumeral joint, and scapulothoracic joint.
The sternoclavicular joint is the joint in which the sternum or breastbone joins with the clavicle or collarbone. The acromioclavicular joint consists of the acromian process of the scapula articulating with the clavical. The glenohumeral joint is where the humerus meets the glenoid fossa of the scapula. Finally, the scapulothoracic joint is where the scapula meets the wall of the thoracic cage, however, this is not a true joint.
There are numerous muscles controlling the movements of the shoulder and surrounding structures, including the deltoid muscle group which covers the shoulder. The rotator cuff muscle group controls internal and external movements, such as throwing. These muscle groups, along with the biceps and triceps of the arm, pectoralis muscles of the chest, and trapezius, rhomboid, and latissimus dorsi muscles of the back, control the movements of the shoulder and surrounding structures.
Common Injuries
- Fracture
- Clavicular, scapular, and humeral fractures.
Common in contact sports such as football, hockey, soccer, and wrestling.
Caused by a direct impact by falling on an outstretched arm or by falling on the tip of a shoulder.
Symptoms - Swelling, deformity, point tenderness, pain over area of fracture, athlete will support arm on injured side and head tilts toward injured side.
- Sprain
- Sternoclavicular, acromioclavicular, and glenohumeral sprains.
Most common in football and wrestling.
Caused by excessive stretching of a joint or direct impact over area of joint.
- Subluxations/Dislocations
- Dislocations of the shoulder joint.
Common in contact sports such as football, hockey, and wrestling.
Caused by direct trauma but can also occur by falling on outstretched arm.
Symptoms - Can feel shoulder give-way, pop or tearing sensation, intense pain, and deformity.
- Impingement
- Shoulder impingement syndrome.
Common in throwing sports such as baseball, softball, volleyball, and track.
Caused by repetitive overhead activities where there is a compression of the supraspinatus tendon and biceps tendon.
Symptoms - Pain around acromion process of scapula, pain with throwing, pain with internal and external rotation.
- Contusions
- Contusions of upper arm.
Common in football and hockey.
Caused by a direct trauma to upper arm.
Symptoms - Bruising, pain, swelling, and inability to use arm.
