Soft Tissue Injuries

Sports Medicine Injuries

An estimated 7 million Americans seek medical attention for sports-related injuries each year.¹ There are 2 types of sports medicine injuries:

• Overuse injuries - Occur over time from repetitive trauma to the tendons, bones, and joints
• Acute injuries - Usually result from a single traumatic event, like wrist fractures, ankle sprains, shoulder dislocations, and hamstring muscle strains

Sprains - A stretch or tear of a ligament. Ankles, knees and wrist are vulnerable to strains.

Strains - A stretch or tear in a muscle or tendon, usually in your foot or leg.

Contusion - A bruise caused by a blow to your muscle, tendon or ligament, which is caused when blood pools around the injury and discolors your skin.

Tendonitis - Overuse and inflammation. You may experience mild pain after exercise that gradually worsens. Mild swelling, morning tenderness, and stiffness may also occur, but may improve with use.

Stress Fractures - Stress fractures are tiny cracks in a bone caused by the overuse and the repetition of movements during exercise. Fatigued muscles become unable to absorb additional shock during exercise and transfer the overload of stress to the bone. This constant process causes tiny “microcracks” in the bone. Stress fractures are most common in the weight-bearing bones of your lower legs. Women are more at risk for stress fractures than men, possibly related to nutritional deficiencies and a woman’s propensity for decreased bone mass density.

You may be at risk for a stress fracture if you:

• Participate in high-impact sports
• Have been told you have low bone density
• Suddenly begin an intense training schedule
• You are an adolescent (bones are not fully mature)