Chronic Compartment Syndrome
In your arms and legs, the muscles, blood vessels and nerves are grouped into compartments by tough tissue called fascia, which is designed to keep these groupings in place. The fascia's stiffness can become a problem, however, if your muscle swells. That's because the fascia cannot stretch, and the swelling can put intense pressure on the vessels, nerves and muscles of the affected limbs.
There...
Spondylolysis
There are many injuries that can cause back pain. When it occurs in children or adolescents, however, one of the most common culprits is spondylolysis, or a stress fracture on the bones of the lower back. In fact, the condition is most commonly diagnosed in adolescents aged 15 and 16, and the risk of spondylolysis increases during the growth spurts that occur during puberty.
The tiny cracks in the...
Stress Fracture
Sometimes, gravity can be an athlete’s worst enemy—especially in the case of stress fractures.
This overuse injury occurs most commonly among athletes who run and jump a lot, repeatedly putting a significant amount of weight on the legs and feet. That’s why most stress fractures occur in the bones of the foot and lower leg (they can also occur in the spine in a condition known as spondylolysis).
In...
Tennis Elbow
Perhaps one of the best-known sports injuries is tennis elbow, an overuse injury of a tendon in the elbow. Despite the name of the condition, it can actually be caused by any activity in which you flex and lift your wrist and hand repeatedly.
The most obvious symptoms of tennis elbow are, perhaps not surprisingly, elbow pain. This discomfort may radiate from the outside of the elbow, down to the...
Acute Compartment Syndrome
The nerves, blood vessels and muscles in your arms and legs are grouped into compartments by tough tissue called fascia that keeps these groups in place. Although the fascia's stiffness is what helps hold tissue in place, the rigidity of the fascia can become a problem if your muscle swells, since the fascia cannot stretch. For this reason, swelling can put intense pressure on the vessels, nerves and...
Bruised Heel Injury
Pounding the pavement (or a similarly hard surface) is often a sizable part of an athlete's training, and as a result, the heels of the feet take plenty of abuse, bearing the weight of the entire body. Unfortunately, the heel is protected only by a small pad of fat, and repetitively landing on the heels can cause this pad to ride up on the side of the heel bone, leaving it unprotected.
Not surprisingly,...
Foot Sprain
When the joints of the foot are torn or otherwise damaged due to excessive or repetitive stress placed on the foot, it can damage the foot's cartilage and connective tissue. This injury, known as a foot sprain, also can result from a forceful twisting of the foot during sports, especially contact sports (such as football), running and gymnastics. It can also be due to long-term strain among people...
Muscle Pulls Plague Pros and Amateurs Alike
Injury comes with the territory of being an athlete. No matter what age and what level, injuries of varying severity are likely to occur. Professional athletes are no exception. They train day in and day out with considerable pressure to perform. How well they perform can dictate how well they are paid, and one of the greatest roadblocks to performing at their best includes injury. In fact,...