Fall sports face histology

There are some physically rugged sports currently going on in Warren County this fall including football, soccer, and volleyball. Regardless of the scoreboard, these athletes have physical contact with other players and the ground and are at risk daily to sustain contusions.

Contusions are also known as bruises. Contusions occur when two things collide together and the result is damage. Contusions can occur because of a knee to the gym floor, a helmet to an elbow, or a foot to a shin.

The human body is made up of thousands of cells. Cells contain many functioning parts, but the cytoplasm, the liquid-like filling, is what makes up the majority of the cell. When these collisions occur, the cell walls and plasma membranes break and the cytoplasm leaks into the body. This leaking process is called exudation. Lots of leaking results in swelling occurs.

The damage of these cells initiates the inflammatory process. Often the word inflammatory is considered bad or harmful, but the inflammatory process is actually the start of the healing process. Anti-inflammatory medicines shut down the inflammatory process and thus shut down the initiation of the healing process. Therefore, anti-inflammatory medicines such as Ibuprofen and Motrin are not recommend during the first 24-48 hours after injury unless directed by a physician.

A good analogy for a contusion and the resultant healing process that occurs is a car wreck or fender-bender. The contusion, the act of collision, is much like the wreck with damage to the car’s body and the engine often leaks fluid.

After the accident, the body shop first removes the damaged parts such as the bumper and the hood. The human body has special cells called leukocytes that do the same thing as the body shop, removing the proteins and other parts of the broken and leaking cells.

The body shop orders a new hood and fender, while also repairing any other dents to the remaining body parts of the car. Within the human body, cells called cytoblasts replace and repair damaged parts at the site of the contusion.

And as with a car wreck, the more damage that occurs with the collision, the longer our body takes to repair contusion.

Athletes can help the body recover from contusions by using R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and performing gentle movement exercises in the joints above and below the contusion. These activities help increase blood flow and nutrient exchange at the site of the contusion.

Most contusions resolve with our body’s independent response, however, if the contusion causes numbness or severe and throbbing pain, consult your sports medicine professional or physician. These symptoms can be serious. These symptoms are often due to swelling that occurs against a nerve or within a tight space, leading to additional damage to other cells. Interventions that may be recommended to treat the contusion may include anti-inflammatory medicine and modalities that help exchange cells such as therapeutic ultrasound.

One final though about contusions. As with any other aspect of sport medicine, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Protective equipment has been designed to protect athletes. Contusions can result from athletes not wearing protective or wearing it improperly.