Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is a common athletic injury. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the major stabilizing ligament of the knee. It
runs from the thighbone to the shinbone through the center of the knee where it prevents the knee from buckling. Tears usually
occur with a sudden change in direction or when something stops a person abruptly.
Broken bones are also called fractures.
Bursitis is inflammation of bursae — small sacs located between bone and other moving structures such as muscles, skin or tendons.
The bursa allows smooth gliding between these structures. Bursae are all over the body, but the ones closest to joints (hips,
knees, shoulders, elbows) tend to become irritated more often. Bursitis is usually temporary and occurs mainly as result of
overuse.
Cartilage tears affect the protective tissue between joints such as knees, elbows and shoulders. See also meniscus tears.
Collateral ligament tears can affect the medial collateral ligament (on the inside of the knee joint), or rarely, the lateral collateral ligament (attached
outside the knee joint). These ligaments supply stability to your knee for side-to-side movement, even during normal walking.
Injury to these areas usually occurs after a strike from the side such as a football tackle.
Contusions are bruises. A blunt force such as a kick, fall or blow often causes a bruise to soft tissue. Contusions usually produce
discoloration, swelling and pain. Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (R.I.C.E.) is one treatment for contusions.
Cubital tunnel syndrome is a condition that affects the ulnar nerve that crosses your elbow through a passage called the cubital tunnel. The symptoms
are very similar to the pain that comes from hitting your funny bone. Causes include trauma to the elbow, frequent bending,
constant use of the elbow and constant direct pressure on the elbow.
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) causes pain when discs wear out, narrowing the space between vertebrae. With less space available, nerves can become compressed
and painful. All discs lose their water content and degenerate as we grow older, but some people’s discs degenerate faster
than others. Some people experience much more pain from these degenerative changes than others. DDD will often present as
sudden, unexpected back pain following a small injury, or as a gradually worsening low back pain.
Dislocated kneecap is what happens when your kneecap pops out of place, usually to the outside of the knee.
Dislocated shoulder and elbow are common injuries. Shoulder dislocation occurs when the ball at the top of the upper armbone (humerus) comes partway or
all the way out of the socket. Both partial and complete dislocation cause pain and unsteadiness in your shoulder. Your muscles
may spasm from the disruption, and this can make it hurt more. When your shoulder dislocates time and again, you have shoulder instability. A dislocated elbow occurs when the bones in the elbow are pulled apart, causing the ligaments that keep the bones together
to stretch or tear. Most elbow dislocations are caused by falling on an outstretched hand.
Fractures are breaks in bones. Broken bones can result from falls, accidents or traumatic injuries. Severe breaks may require surgery
to repair. However, most fractures are treated by immobilizing broken bones in casts or splints until they have grown back
together.
Frozen shoulder, also called adhesive capsulitis, is a painful condition characterized by severe loss of motion in the shoulder. It may follow
an injury to the shoulder, but can also arise with no warning or prior injury.
Growth plate injuries are essentially fractures that occur in children and teens. A growth plate is an area of growing tissue at the ends of long
bones such as arms and legs. The plates determine the future length and shape of mature bones; they close during adolescence
to form permanent bone. About half of all growth plate injuries affect the outer bone of the forearm at the wrist. Growth
plate injuries are usually caused by a fall or blow to a limb, however, overuse (a young pitcher continually practicing his
fastball) can cause chronic problems. These injuries are treated with a combination of methods that may include casting, surgery
and exercise or physical therapy.
Impingement syndrome is painful irritation of the tendons and/or fluid sac (bursa) attached to the rotator cuff in the shoulder. The tendons and
bursa rub against one another whenever you raise your arms over your head. But continuous overhead or repetitive shoulder
movements, such as throwing, can cause irritation and pain that doesn’t go away.
Knee instability is a condition usually caused by an anterior cruciate ligament injury. This ligament is a major stabilizer of the knee.
Ligament injuries are common in athletes and active people. Ligaments on either side of a bone can be strained or torn by overuse or by a fall
or traumatic injury. Sometimes a "snap" or "pop" is heard and the joint attached to the ligament feels loose or wobbly.
Meniscus tears are tears in knee cartilage (meniscus) – a small, horseshoe-shaped, mobile shock absorber between the bone ends inside the
knee joint. There are two in each knee on either side of the knee. Meniscus tears are extremely common with ACL injuries.
Rotator cuff injuries are the most common cause of shoulder pain in adults over 30. The rotator cuff is a set of four ligaments that brace the
shoulder, where the top of the upper arm bone (humerus) and the shoulder blade (scapula) meet. A typical experience is that
of a patient in middle age who has tendonitis or bursitis, then lifts a load or suffers an injury that tears the rotator cuff.
Because rotator cuff tendons have a very low blood supply, they do not repair themselves quickly and are very vulnerable to
degeneration as we age. Degeneration can be sped up by repeating the same types of shoulder movements again and again.
Shoulder instability is a condition in which the shoulder joint is too loose and can slide around too much in the socket. Most of the time, an
injury causes the shoulder to become unstable. In some cases, the unstable shoulder can actually slip out of the socket. If
the shoulder slips completely out of the socket, it has become dislocated. If not treated, instability can lead to arthritis
of the shoulder joint.
Sprains/strains are two different injuries, although both are the result of forcing a joint past its normal range of motion. Sprains occur
when ligaments that connect bone to bone are overstretched, resulting in swelling, pain and even bruising. Jammed fingers,
twisted knees, and twisted ankles are common examples of sprains. Strains, also called muscle pulls, refer to an overstretching
of a muscle or tendon that causes the muscle to actually tear. Strains usually occur when a muscle is stretched too fast.
Stress fractures are an overuse injury. These occur when muscles are too tired to absorb any more shock, so the stress transfers to the bone
and creates a tiny crack. Stress fractures can often result from increasing the amount or intensity of an activity too quickly.
Most stress fractures occur in the lower legs and the foot.
Tendonitis is inflammation or irritation of a tendon. Tendons are the thick fibrous cords that attach muscles to bones. They transmit
the power generated by a muscle contraction to move bones. Tendonitis is usually temporary and occurs mainly as result of
overuse.
Tennis elbow is inflammation of the muscles of the forearm, or of forearm tendons. Commonly experienced by tennis players, it can be caused
by overuse or a constant pull of the lower arm muscles.
Thoracic outlet syndrome is a rare condition that occurs when vessels or nerves in your collarbone are compressed, sometimes by an extra rib. This
condition causes pain the neck or shoulder, numbness or tingling in the fingers and weakened grip.
