Myofascial Pain in Athletes

BackgroundVoluntary, or skeletal, muscle is the largest single organ of the human body and accounts for nearly 50% of the body's weight. The number of muscles in the body depends on the degree of subdivision that is considered and on the number of variable muscles that are included. Not counting heads, bellies, and other divisions of muscles, the Nomina Anatomica reported by the International Anatomical Nomenclature Committee under the Berne Convention...

Read More

Snapping Hip Syndrome

BackgroundSnapping hip syndrome is characterized by an audible snap or click that occurs in or around the hip. This syndrome is well recognized but poorly understood. Snapping hip syndrome may be due to an external cause (eg, snapping of the iliotibial band or gluteus maximus over the greater trochanter) or an internal cause (eg, snapping of the iliopsoas tendon over the iliopectineal eminence, acetabular labral tear, intra-articular loose body)....

Read More

Femur Injuries and Fractures

BackgroundThe spectrum of femoral shaft fractures is wide and ranges from nondisplaced femoral stress fractures to fractures associated with severe comminution and significant soft-tissue injury. Femoral shaft (see image below) fractures are generally caused by high-energy forces and are often associated with multisystem trauma. Isolated injuries can occur with repetitive stress and may occur in the presence metabolic bone diseases, metastatic disease,...

Read More

Patellar Injury and Dislocation

BackgroundPatellar pain is common in both athletic and nonathletic individuals. Among athletes, men tend to present with more patellofemoral injuries, including traumatic dislocations, than women. In the nonathletic population, women present more commonly with patellar disorders.Anatomic morphology of patellar insertion into the intercondylar notch. Muscles influencing patellar biomechanics. Patellofemoral problems are mainly diagnosed by obtaining...

Read More

Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

BackgroundThe posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is described as the primary stabilizer of the knee by many authors. PCL injuries are less common than anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, and they often go unrecognized. The PCL is broader and stronger than the ACL and has a tensile strength of 2000 N. Injury most often occurs when a force is applied to the anterior aspect of the proximal tibia when the knee is flexed. Hyperextension and rotational...

Read More

Iliopsoas Tendinitis

BackgroundHip and pelvis injuries represent 2-5% of all sports injuries. Among these injuries, groin pain is the most common finding. The most common sports-related injuries in the hip, pelvis, and thigh area are musculotendinous, (eg, quadriceps strain, adductor tendinitis) and, less commonly, iliopsoas tendinitis. Iliopsoas tendinitis and iliopsoas bursitis are closely interrelated because inflammation of one inevitably causes inflammation of the...

Read More

Medial Gastrocnemius Strain

BackgroundA medial calf injury is a musculotendinous disruption of varying degrees in the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle that results from an acute, forceful push-off with the foot.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] This injury occurs commonly in sports activities (eg, hill running, jumping, tennis), but it can occur in any activity. A medial calf injury is often seen in the intermittently active athlete, often referred to as the "weekend warrior. This...

Read More

Brachial Plexus Injury in Sports Medicine

BackgroundPeripheral nerve injuries are not common in noncontact sports. However, in contact and collision sports such as football and rugby, brachial plexus injuries occur often. The greater incidence of brachial plexus injuries has been suggested to be the result of direct trauma from participation in contact sports.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5] The result of trauma to the brachial plexus can lead to the cervical "stinger" or "burner" syndrome, which is classically...

Read More

Peroneal Tendon Syndromes

BackgroundInjuries to the peroneal tendons are common but not always clinically significant.[1] They are misdiagnosed as a lateral ankle sprain most of the time, because isolated injury to the peroneal tendons is rare.[2, 3] Injury can occur in one or both peroneus longus and brevis tendons and is typically classified as acute or chronic. Function can be severely compromised by any tendon disruption; conversely, complete tendon rupture can be asymptomatic....

Read More

Repetitive Head Injury Syndrome

BackgroundPrimary head injury can be catastrophic, but the effects of repetitive head injuries must also be considered. Second-impact syndrome (SIS), a term coined in 1984, describes the situation in which an individual sustains a second head injury before the symptoms from the first head injury have resolved.The second injury may occur from days to weeks following the first. Loss of consciousness is not a requirement of this condition, the impact...

Read More