Injuries to your joints and ligaments can occur during sports and physical activities. They can also occur during routine daily activities. Some of the most common injuries, and their symptoms, experienced by patients are listed below. Click on each one to learn more about them.

Arthritis
Bursitis                                                                      
Fracture
Herniated Disc
Lumbar Muscle Strain
Osteoarthritis
Osteoporosis
Scoliosis
Spinal Stenosis
Spondylolisthesis
Sprains
Strains
Stress Fracture
Whiplash

Arthritis – Along with other joints in the body, such as knees and fingers, arthritis can occur in the small joints of the spine.  Arthritis causes the joints to inflame and causes uncomfortable pressure in the joints.

Symtoms:

1. Stiffness, usually worse in the mornings.
2. Relief by sitting or standing in certain positions.

Bursitis – Bursa sacs are filled with a lubricating liquid that helps decrease rubbing, friction, and irritation between tissues including bones, muscles, tendons, and skin.  When the bursa becomes inflamed or irritated, it is called bursitis.

Symptoms:

1. Pain at the bursa which may radiate
2. Pain may occur gradually over time or be sudden

Herniated Disc – Also called slipped disc, bulging disc or ruptured disc.  A herniated disc occurs when the outer portion of the disc (annulis fibrosis) bursts causing the inner softer part of the disc (nucleus pulposis) to push out.  Portions of the annulis fibrosis along with the nucleus pulposis push against ligaments and nerves creating the pain.

Symptoms:

1. Deep persistent pain at the spot of the ruptured disc. 
2. Acute pain when certain movements occur or when abrupt movements such as sneezing occur.
3. Pain may spread to unlikely areas such as the buttocks, hip or groin.

Lumbar Muscle Strain – The most common cause of lower back pain.  Many times a muscle strain will fix itself after a few weeks and requires only rest. 

Symptoms:

1. Pain in the muscles of the back, can be very close to the spine.
2. Sharp pain when muscles of the back suddenly tighten.

Fracture - The main categories of fractures are complete, incomplete, compound and simple.  The severity of a fracture is usually dependent upon how much outside force is applied to the bones involved.  A complete fracture involves the bone snapping into two or more parts.  An incomplete fracture means the bone cracks but does not break all the way through.  A compound fracture (open fracture) occurs when the bone breaks through the skin.  In a simple fracture (closed fracture) the bone breaks but does not break through the skin.

Symptoms:

1. Severe pain
2. Difficult or impossible to use affected body part
3. Bruising
4. Swelling

Osteoarthritis – Osteoarthritis (OA), or Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), is the most common type of arthritis.  It can occur in almost any joint in the body and is associated with the breakdown of cartilage.  Cartilage is a smooth, elastic tissue that covers the ends of the bones that form a joint.  Cartilage allows them to glide easily and without pain.  As OA progresses, the cartilage gradually wears away and reduces the ability to act as a shock absorber between bones.  This can cause tendons and ligaments to stretch and eventually the bones can rub together causing discomfort and pain.  OA usually develops in middle-aged and older patients after many years of use, but can also occur with risk factors such as obesity, injury to a joint, or a family history of the disease.

Symptoms:

1. Aching and soreness in the joint
2. Increased pain after overuse or inactivity
3. Joint swelling or bony enlargements
4. Stiffness or loss of motion in the affected joint

Osteoporosis – Occurs in older people and affects nearly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 12 men.  Osteoporosis weakens the bones and the
back is one of the first places where osteoporosis occurs, due to the large amount of pressure on the spine.  Osteoporosis itself is not painful, but the weakened bones become more susceptible to fractures.

Symptoms:

1. Fracture of the vertebrae.  Sharp, acute pain.

Scoliosis – Bending and twisting in the spine that affects the middle or lower back.  It is most common in adolescence, mostly girls.  Can distort the chest and spine.  Most instances are minor and require only physical therapy. 

Symptoms:

1.  Uneven shoulders, S-shaped spine or shrunken chest.

Spinal Stenosis – Usually occurs in the aging population.  Occurs when the spinal canal becomes constricted due to inflammation of the joints.  The inflammation is usually the result of arthritis.

Symptoms:

1. Pain resulting from stiffness and immobility.
2. Many times pain is worse in the early morning.
3. Pain is relieved by bending over or walking in a stooped position.

Spondylolisthesis – Another common injury that usually occurs from arthritis and degenerative bone disease.  Occurs when inflammation of the bone pushes into the nerve creating pain.  The narrowing of the spinal canal causes loss of normal stabilizing structures.

Symptoms:

1. Low back pain, especially when lifting or moving.
2. Can create chronic back pain if not treated.

Sprains – A sprain is a partial or complete tear of a ligament.  Ligaments connect the end of bones together and stabilize joints.  They allow the joint to move in specific directions.  Sprains commonly occur with twisting or falling injuries.

Symptoms:

1. A popping or snapping sound at time of injury
2. Joint instability
3. Pain with weight bearing (if a lower extremity)
4. Loss of motion in the affected joint

Strains – A strain is a partial or complete tear of a muscle or tendon.  Muscles are attached on each side of a joint to bone by tendons.  As a muscle contracts, it shortens and pulls on the tendon, allowing the joint to go through a range of motion.  A strain may be a simple stretch in a muscle or tendon, or it may be a partial or complete tear in the muscle-tendon unit.  Strains most commonly occur when a muscle is overused or stretched.

Symptoms:

1. Pain and inflammation
2. Limited motion
3. Muscle spasms or weakness

Stress Fracture – Stress fractures are tiny breaks in the bone.  They occur when fatigued muscles are unable to absorb added stress and this overload is transferred to the bone, or when a bone is deficient in minerals and cracks under the stress of routine activities.  Most of these injuries occur in the foot or lower leg.  Stress fractures are one of the most common sports injuries – particularly in sports that include running or weight bearing on hard surfaces. 

Symptoms:

1. Pain with weight bearing
2. Localized tenderness of the affected body part
3. Swelling

Whiplash – Pain in the muscles of the neck that occurs when the head is abruptly and unexpectedly thrown backwards or forwards, often occurs in car accidents.  The muscles in the neck do not have time to brace themselves leaving the joints unprotected.  Pain can last for months and can even be permanent.

Symptoms:

1. Soreness and stiffness in the neck.
   

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