We have information on hundreds of sports injuries and conditions. We explain symptoms & diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation exercises.
If you are not sure what your injury is try our sports injury symptom checker.
Select from injury/pain location:
Foot & Heel
Select the location of your pain:
Heel pain
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Bruised Heel
- Heel Spur
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome
- Calcaneal fracture
- Sever’s Disease
- Achilles Bursitis
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Foot arch pain
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Plantar fascia strain
- Heel Spur
- Tibialis posterior tendinopathy
- Medial calcaneal nerve entrapment
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Pain on top of the foot
- Extensor tendonitis
- Lisfranc injury
- Midtarsal joint sprain
- Navicular stress fracture
- Mortons neuroma
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Forefoot pain
- Bunions
- Hallux rigidus
- Mortons neuroma
- Metatarsal stress fracture
- Metatarsalgia
- Sesamoiditis
- Turf Toe
- Gout
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Outside of the foot
Inside of the foot
- Abductor hallucis strain
- Bunions
- Tibialis posterior tendinopathy
- Medial calcaneal nerve entrapment
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Toe pain
Lower leg & ankle
Shin pain
Calf pain
Acute ankle injuries (sprains & strains)
Achilles pain
Inside of the ankle
Outside of the ankle
Front of the ankle
Knee
Knee sprains & strains
Outside of the knee/lateral knee pain
- Iliotibial band friction syndrome
- Lateral cartilage meniscus tear
- Lateral ligament sprains
- Osteoarthritis in the knee
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Inside knee/medial knee pain
Back of the knee
Front of the knee/anterior knee pain
Thigh
Hip & Buttocks
Hip pain in children
Front of the hip
Outside of the hip
Buttock pain
Shoulder
Elbow & Arm
Outside elbow/lateral elbow pain
Inside elbow/medial elbow pain
Sprains & fractures
Back of the elbow
Forearm
Upper arm
Wrist & hand
By location
Acute wrist injuries
Chronic wrist pain
Hand & finger
Sprains, strains & fractures
Gradual onset/chronic injuries
Back & neck
Sports Injuries by type
Most sports injuries are related to either muscle, joints or bone:
Sports Injuries Affecting Children
Muscle injuries
The following are different types of sports injury which are muscle related:
Muscle strains
A muscle strain is a tear of muscle, or part of the muscle. Muscles contract to produce movement and strains are some of the most common acute (sudden onset) sports injuries.
Contusions
A contusion is a muscle injury caused by direct trauma or impact. The muscle is often crushed against the bone. Often referred to as a ‘charley horse’ or a ‘dead leg’, the most common sites for a contusions are in the thigh, lower leg, shoulder and arm.
Myostis ossificans
Myositis ossificans can occur as a complication of not treating a contusion correctly. It involves a small growth of bone within the muscle and usually occurs a while after the original injury.
Compartment syndrome
Compartment syndromes occur when the muscle swells up too big for the sheath that surrounds it. Compartment syndromes can be acute (sudden onset) caused by bleeding withing the muscle. This is often a medical emergency so seek professional advice immediately. Chronic (gradual onset) compartment syndromes are caused by the muscle growing too big for the sheath surrounding it.
Cramp
Cramp is a painful involuntary contraction of the muscle. Cramp affects most hard training athletes at some point in time, with the hamstring muscles commonly affected.
Tendon strain
A Tendon strains is a tear of a tendon which joins muscle to bone. Not to be confused with a sprain which occurs in ligaments which join bone to bone.
Fascia tear
This is a tear to the fascia or sheath that surrounds a muscle, or part of a muscle. If the fascia is torn, then blood can escape the muscle compartment resulting in visible bruising.
DOMS
This is delayed onset muscle soreness and occurs 24 to 48 hours following a bought of hard, or unacustomed exercise.
Tendinopathy
This is a gradual onset injury to a tendon, usually resulting from overuse. It is often linked to or confused with tenonitis. The ‘itis’ infers acute inflammation, which may be present. However, most chronic tendon injuries are the result of wear and tear, hence tendinopathy is a more appropriate term.
Bone injuries
The following sports injuries occur in bones:
- Acute fractures
- Periosteal contusion
- Stress fractures
- Apophysitis
- Osteitis
- Periostitis
Joint injuries
Injuries to joints result in damage to a range of structures:
- Ligament sprains
- Meniscus tear
- Articular cartilage
- Dislocations
- Impingement
Quizzes
Learn about sports injuries the easy way with our simple, fun sports injury quizzes.
