Common Conditions

• Bursitis

  Bursitis is a painful swelling of a small sac of fluid called a bursa. Bursae cushion and lubricate areas where tendons, ligaments, muscles, or bones rub against each other. People who repeat the same movement over and over or who put continued pressure on a specific joint in their jobs, sports, or daily activities have a greater chance of getting bursitis.

  Bursitis is most common in the shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee. Bursitis may also occur near the Achilles tendon or in the foot. Bursitis usually causes a dull pain, tenderness, and stiffness near the affected bursa. The bursa may swell and make the skin around it red and warm to the touch.

• Cartilage and Meniscus Tears

  The meniscus is a tough, rubbery cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between the upper (femur) and lower (tibia) bones of the knee.  It can tear when twisting, pivoting, decelerating, or being tackled. It often involves direct contact.

• Fractures

  A fracture is a break of bone or cartilage, often with accompanying damage to the surrounding soft tissues. Fractures occur when the force applied to a bone exceeds its strength. An injury or trauma is the most frequent cause, but conditions that weaken the bone, such as osteoporosis, tumors or infection can make the bone prone to breaking. 

  A fracture can occur to any bone in the body.  Some common bones broken during sports are wrists, arms, collar bones, ribs, and ankles.

• Joint Instability and Dislocations

  Joint instability occurs when muscles, ligaments, and bones weaken. This causes abnormal or excess movement within the joint causing the joint to get off track. 

  A dislocation occurs when the ends of two connected bones are separated and no longer in their proper position.

• Knee Ligament Injuries

  There are four major ligaments in the knee. Ligaments are elastic bands of tissue that connect bones to each other and provide stability and strength to the joint.

  The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most common ligament to be injured. The ACL is often stretched or torn during a sudden twisting motion. Skiing, basketball, and football are sports that have a higher risk of ACL injuries.

  The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is also a common ligament to become injured in the knee. However, the PCL injury usually occurs with sudden, direct impact, such as in a car accident or during a football tackle.

  The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is injured more often than the lateral collateral ligament (LCL.) Stretch and tear injuries to these ligaments are usually caused by a blow to the outer side of the knee, such as when playing hockey or football. 

• Rotator Cuff Tears

  Your rotator cuff consists of muscles and tendons that hold your shoulder in place. It is one of the most important parts of your shoulder. Your rotator cuff allows you to lift your arms and reach up.

  Symptoms may include pain that keeps coming back, muscle weakness, limited ability to move your arm, and grinding sounds when moving it. Treatment will depend on your symptoms, age, and general health and will also depend on how severe the condition is.

• Sprains and Strains

  Sprains and strains are among the most common injuries in sports.  A sprain is a stretch or tear of a ligament that connects one bone to another bone. A sprain is caused by direct or indirect trauma like a fall or a blow to the body that knocks a joint out of position, and overstretches or ruptures the supporting ligaments. 

  You can strain any muscle in your body.  A strain occurs when your muscle stretches beyond its normal range of motion or when you put more load on the muscle than it’s strong enough to handle. When this happens, the muscle fibers tear resulting in a pulled muscle.

• Tendonitis

  Tendons are strong cords of tissue that connect muscles to bones. Tendonitis refers to when a tendon is inflamed, sometimes causing swelling, pain, discomfort, and a grinding sensation. It can happen to any tendon in the body. 

  Tendonitis can be caused by strain, overuse, injury or too much exercise. Over time, it can lead to partial tendon tearing and tendon damage.

  Tennis or Golfer’s Elbow

  Tennis or Golfer’s elbow is a painful overuse injury that causes inflammation of the muscle on the inside of the elbow. The pain from this form of tendonitis runs from the bony point of your elbow into your forearm.

  Although it’s one of the more common sports injuries, it doesn’t only happen to athletes. Activities that include repetitive forearm movement — such using a screwdriver, digging in the garden, or painting — can also cause tendonitis.