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  4. Common Sports Injuries and Joint Problems Due to Overuse
  • COMMON INJURIES

    Woman Practicing Yoga

    • Most injuries can be categorized into two groups — acute injuries and overuse injuries. Acute injuries are caused from sudden trauma, while overuse injuries build over time. Both injuries include damage to the soft tissues (muscles and ligaments) and bones. Here are some of the more common injuries based on specific parts of the body.

    ANKLE INJURIES

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      Ankle Tendonitis
      Inflammation of the Achilles Tendon (connects calf to heel bone). Pain over tendon; loss of motion.

      Ligament Sprain/Instability
      Ligament is stretched or torn decreasing the strength of the joint. Pain, joint stiffness and a decrease in range of motion can occur.

      Swelling
      Collection of fluid in or around joint or inflammation of the bursa sack in joint. Palpable fluid around joint that can be painful.


    BACK INJURIES

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      Ligament Sprain/Instability
      Ligament is stretched or torn decreasing the strength of the joint. Pain, stiffness and a decrease in range of motion can occur.

      Muscle Spasm/Soreness
      Muscle contraction resulting in diffuse pain. Muscle contraction and pain either at specific points or over a large area.


    ELBOW INJURIES

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      Tendonitis
      (Little League Elbow, Golfer’s Elbow, Tennis Elbow) Inflammation of tendons of the forearm. Pain over either tendon resulting from repetitive wrist/elbow actions such as golf, tennis and baseball.

      Swelling
      Collection of fluid in or around joint or inflammation of the bursa sack in joint. Palpable fluid around joint that can be painful.


    KNEE INJURIES

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      Arthritis
      Inflammation of a joint. Swelling, redness and/or heat sensation that may be caused by tissue injury or disease in the joint.

      Chrondomalacia Patella
      Softening and deterioration of the articular cartilage on the underside of the patella. Tenderness around patella with or without swelling; dull ache in the center of the knee.

      Contusion
      Bruise, pain and/or discoloration.

      Ligament Sprain/Instability
      Ligament is stretched or torn decreasing the strength of the joint. Pain, stiffness and a decrease in range of motion can occur.

      Patella Tendonitis (Jumper’s Knee)
      Inflammation of the tendon connecting the patella to the tibia (lower leg). Pain concentrated over patella tendon; increases with athletic activities; overuse injury.

      Quadriceps Tendonitis
      Inflammation of the tendon connecting the quadriceps to the patella. Pain concentrated over quadriceps tendon, increases with athletic activities; overuse injury.

      Swelling
      Collection of fluid in or around joint or inflammation of the bursa sack in joint. Palpable fluid around joint that can be painful.


    WRIST INJURIES

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      Ligament Sprain/Instability
      Ligament is stretched or torn decreasing the strength of the joint. Pain, stiffness and a decrease in range of motion can occur.

      Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
      Signs of CTS include swollen hands and wrists and can involve painful throbbing, tingling and numbness in your hand, wrist and forearm. These symptoms often occur when you are sleeping and cause you to wake up, but they can also happen during the day. CTS can affect all or any combination of your fingers and can cause your hand to become so weak that you cannot hold on to objects as firmly as you could before.

      Swelling
      Collection of fluid in or around joint or inflammation of the bursa sack in the joint. Palpable fluid around joint that can be painful.