A shin splint is a painful overuse injury that is common to runners, or other athletes who may be doing a lot of running as part of a conditioning program for another sport. Sharp pain on the outside edge of the shin is the most common symptom. Depending on the severity of the injury, it can be a minor annoyance that can be played on through treatment, or it may cause such a sharp degree of pain that it requires a complete shutdown of any running related activity.

Occasionally an athlete will put undue stress on tendons and joints during a training program. When this happens there is the risk that the individual may develop a case of tendonitis. Tendonitis occurs when a tendon rubs repeatedly over a joint, causing friction. The friction in turn causes soreness and inflammation. This can be a painful condition, which causes stiffness and can limit mobility.

We have all heard someone say at one point or another that they have pulled a muscle, but do any of us really understand what a pulled muscle is? A pulled muscle is a very common sports injury that occurs when the muscle fiber has been over stretched and begins to tear. Sometimes bleeding will occur from the tears and a bruise will form over the sore area.

One of the most difficult things for athletes to do, especially in extreme weather conditions, is to regulate their body temperature. On a hot day the body generates heat during exercise at faster rate than the atmosphere will allow it to dissipate. In extreme circumstances, even the atmosphere can make the body temperature rise, let alone allow it to dissipate heat itself.

While it can seem rather trivial, a jammed finger can be a very painful injury. Because our fingers need to be sensitive to touch and to have a lot of dexterity, they have a huge amount of nerve endings. This large bunching of nerve endings means that an injury can be quite painful.

We have all seen athletes in the Olympics or major marathons stumbling stiffly across the finish line, bent over and grimacing in pain. The problem is not a serious injury or fatigue, the problem is that their bodies have run out of the fuel they need to keep going. They have literally exhausted their resources and the body no longer has any fuel left in reserve. The muscles begin to tighten and cramp as the body begins to shut down from all the hard work it has been forced to do.