Sports Medicine

One of the most common knee injuries in sports that involve sudden stops, jumping and landing, and quick changes in direction, like soccer, football, skiing, and basketball, is an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprain or tear. The ACO is one of the major ligaments in the knee. Often a popping sound will be heard when an ACL injury occurs.

Because it’s the body’s most mobile joint, under the right circumstances, the shoulder is prone to dislocation. A dislocated shoulder occurs when the upper arm bone pops out of the cup-shaped socket that's part of the shoulder blade. Immediate medical attention is necessary, but most people recover fully within weeks.

Impingement syndrome occurs when the tendons of the rotator cuff of the shoulder are pinched as they pass between the top of the upper arm and the tip of the shoulder. Symptoms commonly include pain, tenderness and reduced shoulder mobility.

The term rotator cuff refers to a group of muscles and tendons surrounding the shoulder joint, keeping the top of the upper arm bone firmly within the shallow socket of the shoulder. A rotator cuff injury can cause a dull ache in the shoulder, which often worsens with use of the arm away from the body. Rotator cuff injuries are common and increase with age. These may occur earlier in people who have jobs that require repeatedly performing overhead motions. Many people with a rotator cuff injury can manage their symptoms and return to activities with physical therapy exercises that improve flexibility and strength of the muscles surrounding the shoulder joint.

Shoulder instability starts when an injury causes a shoulder to develop multiple dislocations. Looseness in the joint develops causing the joint to become unstable. It is most common in young athletes. After the first dislocation, chances of future dislocations are likely.

Also called “tennis elbow” and other sports-related euphemisms, tendinitis is the term for inflammation or irritation of a tendon. Tendons are the thick fibrous cords attaching muscles to bones. The condition causes pain and tenderness near the joints and is most common around heels, wrists, knees, and shoulders.

Ligaments are the thick fibrous tissue that connects bone to bone or bone to cartilage. While ligaments are extremely strong, they can be stretched or even torn, resulting in sprains the range from mild to severe. A ligament tear usually is usually caused by extreme force or trauma. Common ligament tears are to the ankle, knee, wrist, thumb, neck, or back.

The meniscus are c-shaped pieces of cartilage in the knee. A torn meniscus is one of the most common knee injuries, and is usually the result of forceful twisting or sudden stops common in sports; however, age and obesity can also be factors.