Sports Medicine

Your knee joint has two wedge-shaped pieces of cartilage that act as shock absorbers between your femur and your tibia. These are your menisci. There are several common types of tears, but meniscus tears are common among athletes (although they can happen to anyone). Treatments range from simple at-home therapies, to surgical intervention, depending on the type and severity of the tear.

Common Causes

• Sudden tear, caused by twisting or forceful rotation
• Degenerative tear, caused by weakening over time
• Pivoting, deep squatting, or heavy lifting.

Common Symptoms

• Sudden “pop” upon injury. Many people can still walk with a torn meniscus.
• Stiffness and swelling, decreased range of motion
• Sensation of your knee “giving way”

In children and adolescent athletes, knee injuries are common. Your knee is a complex joint, and several tendons, ligaments, and bones are prone to injury. Whether due to overuse, overtraining, improper training, or sudden injury, many young athletes will experience a knee injury during their careers. If pain does not subside after 2-3 days of rest, or the joint cannot bear weight, be sure to see a doctor.

Common Types of Injury

• Pain Syndromes, an overuse injury sometimes called “runner’s knee”
• Ligament and Cartilage Injuries, such as ACL or MCL tears
• Dislocations, partial or complete patellar dislocation
• Fractures (rare)

Common Symptoms

• Inability to bear wear
• Pain that worsens with activity
• Locking, catching, or feeling of instability

Lateral Epicondylitis, commonly called Tennis Elbow, is an overuse condition that involves the tendons that join outside of the elbow to the forearm muscles. Your epicondyles are bony bumps at the bottom of your humerus, the attachment point for your forearm tendons, particularly your extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB). When it becomes inflamed or damaged, this is called lateral epicondylitis.

Common Causes

• Overuse, repetitive stress from sports
• Occupational overuse, i.e. painting, plumbing, carpentry
• Improper technique in racquet sports

Common Symptoms

• Gradually developing pain
• Pain or burning on the outer elbow
• Weak grip strength

Mallet finger, sometimes known as “baseball finger,” is a condition in which a finger is forced to bend further than it’s supposed to, injuring the thin extensor tendon at the tip of the finger. Boutonniere deformity is a similar condition that impacts the middle joint of a finger. With both conditions, an inability to completely straighten the finger is a telltale symptom.

Learn more about Mallet Finger  |  Learn More about Boutonniere Deformity

Common Causes

• Forceful blow to the top of the finger
• Cut to the top of the finger that severs the tendon
• Arthritis (Boutonniere Deformity)

Common Symptoms

• Pain and swelling at point of impact or injury
• Inability to completely straighten finger without aid

A sprained ankle is extremely common in people of all ages. While they often heal with home treatments, an untreated or severe sprain can permanently weaken the ankle ligaments. Sprains can range from minor overstretching to a complete tear of a ligament. Most of the time, a sprain involves the lateral ligaments on the outside of the ankle. Severe sprains often present similarly to fractures.

Common Causes

• Walking on an uneven surface
• Sudden rolling or twisting of the ankle
• Falling down

Common Symptoms

• Swelling, bruising and tenderness
• Ankle instability, inability to bear weight
• Popping sensation, if tearing occurs

Your hands are incredibly complex, with many ligaments, tendons, and joints involved in hand and wrist function. Because of this complexity, sports-related injuries to the hand and/or wrist are quite common. Injuries in athletes may be overuse injuries or traumatic injuries. It’s important that injuries be evaluated and treated properly, as loss of hand function can significantly impact your life.

Common Types of Injury

• Overuse, such as tendon inflammation, nerve injury or compression
• Stress fractures
• Dislocations
• Sprains, strains, tears
• Fractures

Common Symptoms

• Pain, tenderness, swelling that increases with activity
• Limited range of motion, weakness of the wrist or fingers
• Visible deformity

A sprain or tear of the ACL is one of the most common knee injuries among athletes, particularly those involved in high-demand sports like basketball, soccer and football. Your ACL runs down the middle of your knee, between your femur and tibia, and provides critical stability to your knee joint. Grade 1 sprains are mild, while Grade 3 sprains are complete tears of the ligament.

Common Causes

• Sudden change of direction
• Sudden stops
• Improper landing after a jump

Common Symptoms

• Sudden “popping” noise upon injury
• Pain and swelling within 24 hours
• Loss of range of motion; discomfort while walking

A rotator cuff injury is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain in adults. Your rotator cuff is made up of tendons that join shoulder muscles and your humerus to keep your arm in the shoulder socket and assists with lifting and rotating your arm. When a tendon frays or pulls away from the bone, either partially or completely, this is called a rotator cuff tear. 

Common Causes

• Acute tear. Falling on an outstretched arm, jerking motion while lifting, other shoulder trauma.
• Degenerative tear. Occurs over time, more common in dominant arm, often with repetitive movement.

Common Symptoms

• Pain at rest. Often, while lying on the affected shoulder.
• Pain or weakness while lifting your arms.
• “Crackling” sensation in certain positions.

Tendons are rope-like connective tissue that connect muscle to bone. Though tendonitis is defined as inflammation of a tendon, that inflammation is typically caused by tendinosis, an overuse condition that wears and frays the tendon fibers. Tendonitis can occur in any tendon in the body, but in athletes there are certain areas more prone to this condition. Rest, ice, and proper training are important to prevent reinjury and allow complete recovery.

Common Areas of Injury

• Patellar tendon (knee)
• Achilles tendon (ankle)
• Rotator cuff tendons (shoulder)
• Lateral epicondylitis (elbow)

Common Symptoms

• Pain and swelling that increases with movement
• Weakness at site of injury

Recurring pain at the bottom of the heel is likely caused by plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a ligament that runs from your heel to the ball of your foot. When it becomes inflamed due to overstress or tearing, you experience pain and stiffness around the bottom of your foot. Plantar fasciitis is very common, particularly in athletes or active adults.

Common Causes

• Tight calf muscles
• Very high arch of the foot
• Repetitive impact activity i.e. running

Common Symptoms

• Pain on the bottom of the foot, near the heel
• Pain that is worse after rest
• Pain that is worse after (not during) exercise