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The recommended treatment for a strain is the same as for a sprain-rest, ice, compression and elevation. This should be followed by simple exercises to relieve pain and restore mobility. For a serious tear, you may need surgical repair.

Contusions
A contusion is a bruise caused by a blow to your muscle, tendon or ligament. The bruise is caused when blood pools around the injury and discolors your skin.

Most contusions are mild and respond well when you rest, apply ice and compression, and elevate the injured area. If symptoms persist, medical care should be sought to prevent permanent damage to the soft tissues.

Tendonitis
Inflammation is a healing response to injury, and is usually accompanied by swelling, heat, redness and pain. An inflammation in a tendon or in the tendon covering is called tendonitis. What usually causes tendonitis is not just a single injury but a series of small stresses that repeatedly aggravate the tendon.

Professional baseball players, swimmers, tennis players and golfers are susceptible to tendonitis in their shoulders and arms. Soccer and basketball players, runners and aerobic dancers are prone to tendon inflammation in their legs and feet. Tendinitis may be treated by rest to eliminate stress, anti-inflammatory medication, steroid injections, splinting, and exercises to correct muscle imblanace and improve flexibility. Persistent inflammation may cause damage to the tendon which may necessitate surgical correction.

Bursitis
A bursa is a sac filled with fluid. It is located between a bone and a tendon or muscle, and it allows the tendon to slide smoothly over the bone.

Repeated small stresses and overuse can cause the bursa in your shoulder, elbow, hip, knee or ankle to swell. This swelling and irritation is called bursitis, and many people experience it in association with tendonitis. Bursitis can usually be relieved by rest and possibly with anti-inflammatory medication. Some orthopaedic surgeons also inject the bursa with additional medication to reduce the inflammation.

Stress Fractures
When one of your bones is stressed by overuse, tiny breaks in the bone can occur. The injury is termed a stress fracture. Early symptoms may be pain and sweling in the region of the stress fracture. The bones of your lower leg and foot are particularly prone to stress fractures. The fracture may not be seen on initial routine x-rays, requiring a bone scan to obtain the diagnosis.

These injuries are treated by rest, activity modification, cast immobilization, and rarely by surgery.

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