This injury occurs when the connective tissue of one or more joints located in the foot is damaged. A sprained foot typically occurs as a result of activities such as landing after a jump, running on an uneven surface, changing direction quickly or sports that require repetitive use of the feet.
Symptoms of this injury may include a sudden onset of pain, especially during walking/running, as well as stiffness and swelling after 24 hours.

A knee sprain occurs when one of the four ligaments of the knee has been overstretched which damages, or possibly tears the fibers. Injuries to knee ligaments are caused due to sudden force brought upon the knee or an awkward twisting while changing direction.

One way of determining which ligament has been injured, is by simply locating the area of the knee where pain originates.  Pain on the inside of the knee indicates an MCL injury, while the outside indicates an LCL injury. Widespread pain will indicate an ACL or PCL injury.

Symptoms of this injury may include instability, pain, swelling, stiffness or deformity. It is worth noting that some of these symptoms may take 24 hours to appear.

A calf strain is a common athletic injury that occurs when one or both of the two muscles located in the lower leg are stretched beyond their capacity, which results in small tears in the muscle fibers. This injury often takes place while the patient is accelerating or changing direction at full speed.

Symptoms of this injury may include as sudden onset of pain, stiffness, bruising or a “popping” sensation during the injury.

An injury to the Achilles’ Tendon almost always originates from overuse. Repetitive stress on the tendon causes inflammation, which then causes the tendon to slowly deteriorate.  A sudden increase in the intensity of exercise activity can expedite the onset of injury.

Symptoms of this injury may include pain and swelling above the heel, which will come and go intermittently if the patient has tendonitis, or will be sharp and relentless if the tendon is ruptured. The patient may also have difficulty pointing their toes.

There are several types of injuries that can occur to the quadriceps, but most commonly it is a strain or ”pull” of the quadriceps that will affect an athlete. This injury occurs most often when the patient tries to accelerate while sprinting while the muscle is fatigued, not properly warmed up or weak as compared to the hamstring (a common issue with runners).

Symptoms of this injury may include a sudden onset of pain, spasms, swelling, bruising or instability.

A hamstring strain is a common sports injury. It will occur either one of two ways: during a sprint or during a stretch. At the end of a sprint, the hamstring muscle must work very hard to decelerate. When the foot strikes the ground, the lower part of the muscle is put under immense stress, at which point the injury could occur.

During a stretch, the muscle is simply stretched beyond its capacity, and the injury will typically occur higher up on the thigh.

Symptoms of this injury may include a sudden onset of pain, swelling, instability or in severe cases a “popping” noise.

Groin injuries make up 5% of all reported sports injuries. If the groin/thigh is tensed suddenly or too forcefully, a strain or tear of the muscle will occur.

Symptoms of this injury may include pain in the groin and inside of the thigh, inability to bring legs together, inability to raise the knee or in severe cases a “popping” sensation.

An oblique strain can occur during a stretch or contraction of the internal oblique muscle, which is attached to the lower ribs. When the muscle is put under too much stress, repetition or sudden force- the oblique can suffer a small tear. Most commonly, it will occur when the oblique is in a stretch position but suddenly contracted (ex: swinging a baseball bat).

Symptoms of this injury may include a sudden onset of pain in the side of the chest, spasms or stiffness.

A sprained wrist is an injury that occurs when the ligaments and cartilage inside the wrist suffer damage. This injury will generally take place during a fall onto an outstretched hand, which can take place during any sporting event.

Occasionally, it can occur due to overuse, such as repetitive use of a screwdriver or wrench.

Symptoms of this injury may include a sudden onset of pain, stiffness or tenderness.

A sprained or “jammed” finger is extremely common athletic injury and can occur during a specific incident such as a hyper-extension (backwards bending) or a sideways force causing the finger to bend in an awkward way. This could take place in a variety of different ways, depending on the activity.

Symptoms of this injury may include a sudden onset of pain, stiffness, bruising, swelling or in severe cases, deformity.

A sprain of the elbow is the stretching and/or tearing of the ligaments that support it. This injury can be caused by sudden trauma, a fall onto an outstretched arm, a force that twists the arm in an awkward way or most commonly, overuse of the elbow. This injury is known to plague baseball pitchers who are used to throwing a multiple innings without proper resting time for the muscles and ligaments.

Symptoms of this injury may include a sudden onset of pain, swelling, redness, bruising or inability to move the elbow.

A sprained shoulder occurs when the ligaments that support it are stretched and/or torn. It will occur directly above the shoulder blade where the shoulder meets the humerus. This injury can be caused by an awkward fall onto an outstretched arm, an awkward twist of the shoulder or by severe force.

Symptoms of this injury may include a sudden onset of pain, swelling, inflammation or inability to move the shoulder.

A neck strain, also known as “whiplash”, is normally associated with a collision of some sort, that causes the head to jerk in a certain direction, such as a car accident. The sudden force can overstretch or tear the muscles or tendons in the neck.

Symptoms of this injury may include a sudden onset of pain, tenderness, a decreased range of motion or a dull pain at the base of the skull.