Sports Medicine Conditions

Sprains and strains are injuries affecting the muscles and ligaments. A sprain is an injury or tear of one or more ligaments that commonly occurs at the wrist, knee, ankle or thumb. A strain is an injury or tears to the muscle. Strains occur commonly in the back and legs. Sprains and strains occur due to overstretching of the joints during sports activities and accidents such as falls or collisions.

Sports injuries are injuries sustained by athletes or active individuals while playing indoor or outdoor sports such as football, basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis, or while exercising. Sports injuries may result from accidents, poor training practices, use of improper protective gear, lack of conditioning, and insufficient warm-up and stretching.

Musculoskeletal injuries are any injuries causing damage to bone, cartilage, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves and related structures. They can occur in any area of your musculoskeletal system such as the neck, back, hips, knees, shoulders, or elbows. If untreated, there can be an increase in pain as time goes on, as well as the risk of improper healing.

The term arthritis literally means inflammation of a joint but is generally used to describe any condition in which there is damage to the cartilage. Inflammation is the body's natural response to injury. The warning signs that inflammation presents are redness, swelling, heat, and pain. The cartilage is a padding that absorbs stress. The proportion of cartilage damage and synovial inflammation varies with the type and stage of arthritis.

Female athlete triad syndrome is a grouping of three disorders commonly seen in female athletes. Female athlete triad syndrome is mainly caused by an energy imbalance in the body due to poor nourishment and high activity levels. This imbalance causes excess fatigue, irregular menstruation, and ultimately bone loss.

Tendonitis refers to the inflammation of a tendon, which is a band of fibrous connective tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone. Tendonitis can result from repetitive or overuse injuries and can occur during activities such as gardening, carpentry, shoveling, painting, scrubbing, tennis, golfing, skiing, and pitching. People with poor posture or those who avoid stretching before exercise are at a higher risk of developing tendonitis.

Tendons are powerful fibrous cords which connect muscle to bone. When you overstretch a tendon, it can rupture (tear) completely or partially. This rupturing of the tendon due to overstretching is known as a tendon injury. You typically feel a snap or popping sensation when you rupture your tendon followed by a sharp pain which is likely to affect your mobility and muscle function. Surgery is often regarded as the best treatment.

Muscle pain or myalgia is a discomfort experienced in the muscle tissue and can be felt practically anywhere in the body. Joint pain is a discomfort arising out of any tissues within your joint including ligaments, cartilage, bone, muscles, or tendons. Your doctor will review your symptoms and medical history and perform a physical examination.

A muscle injury also called a muscle strain or a pulled muscle can occur when a muscle is overstrained. This can happen during sports or regular activities. The ends of a muscle form tendons, which attach to bones. Muscles contract to produce movement at the joints. Muscle injuries can occur during forced or explosive movements or while making sudden changes in direction. It often occurs when a strong force elongates a contracting muscle.

Tendons are fibrous cords that anchor muscles to bones. Tendinitis is a condition in which a tendon becomes inflamed or irritated. Although any tendon can be affected, commonly the tendons around the joints such as the shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles are involved.

Muscular pain, also known as myalgia, is a type of pain that involves muscle tissue and the tendons that connect the muscle to the bones and joints. It can be generalized (affecting multiple muscle groups and can be felt almost everywhere in the body or only affect a particular group of muscles. Everyone experiences muscle pain differently.

Sports and athletic activities naturally involve risks for injuries irrespective of gender; however, gender also plays an important role in certain types of sports injuries. Although common perception is that male athletes are more likely to be injured in sports, it is female athletes who are more prone for sports related injuries for a variety of reasons. Females are generally more likely to suffer a sports-related injury because they are built differently from males.

The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee that connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone) and helps stabilize the knee joint. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the common injuries of the knee. An injury to the ACL commonly occurs during sports or activities that involve twisting, overextension, landing from a jump incorrectly and abrupt change in direction or speed of movements.