Summertime means more activity and more SOFT TISSUE INJURIES.
As World Cup fever fades into our memories [least said, soonest mended], our hopes become pinned on the cricket and motor racing opportunities as ways to champion our great British spirit. Sport, unfortunately, also brings with it soft tissue musculoskeletal injury. Thus, I thought it appropriate to write about another facet of the world of Trauma and Orthopaedic research; the field of soft tissue injuries.
Ligaments, muscles, tendons, nerves and cartilage - all the things that surround our bones and joints - are the musculoskeletal soft tissues. They are very susceptible to damage due to sporting injuries, accidents at work, road traffic accidents or just the ordinary activities of daily living. Now that the British summer has truly arrived and we undertake more outdoor activity, the number of accidents with soft tissue injuries, particularly involving sport, increases.
Our work in this field is so important to our national wellbeing, economic prosperity, and particularly sport, both amateur and professional. Did you know that there are over two million sports injuries per year in the UK, of which 95% involve soft tissues? Over 50% of knee injuries result from sports-related activities. Musculoskeletal problems account for 30% of all consultations with GPs.
I hope you will agree that Susie’s story in our latest newsletter, is truly touching, particularly where she recounts that if it were not for the continuing research in Trauma and Orthopaedics then she would have lost her left leg at the age of 17.
Please consider helping us in our core mission; ‘caring for patients and supporting surgeons to keep people mobile’ by making a donation (click the link below). Perhaps you could help us by holding a fundraising event or nominating Joint Action as the recipient in an existing fundraising event in your local area.
Together we can achieve the Joint Action Challenge of raising £350,000 during 2010.