Sports injury means any injury to the musculoskeletal system that is the bones, tendons, ligaments, muscles of the body that happens due to sporting activities. At the same time, such injuries that happen due to daily activities are also dealt in the same way as sports injuries and can be classified in the same. These include the sprain or injury to the ligaments, tearing of the tendons or muscles or injury to the joint.

Subtle injuries like low grade sprains or contusions or bruises are usually treated with rest, ice, compression and elevation along with anti-inflammatory medications, moderate or severe injuries like high grade sprains or rupture of the ligament or tendon or muscle or fractures or injury to the joints are usually treated under supervision of sports physicians by specialized methods with or without need for invasive procedures and surgeries.

Sport injuries can be avoided or prevented by following a good regimen of stretching and strengthening of the muscles and the joints of the body prior to the sporting event. This requires a sports rehabilitation and training under supervision of the athletic trainer and coaches. Player should also wear appropriate safety gears for the game. They are also provided with strategies to prevent injuries by their athletic trainer or coaches. Appropriate level of health and nutrition is required to avoid and prevent sport injuries.

Children have more resilience to injuries and usually have milder form of injuries. Fractures are relatively uncommon in younger population. They may suffer from sprain of the ligament or strain of the muscles or tendon. Children are at high risk of injuries due to their growth plate and may have growth plate injuries or injuries specific to kids like osteochondritis dissecans.

Soft tissue injury contrary to bony injury includes injury to the muscles, tendons or ligaments. They can be graded from mild to severe. Most of the time the soft tissue injuries can be treated by conservative means. Occasionally they may require surgical treatment for high grade injuries.

Sports injury can involve injury to the muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones or joints. These may be graded from mild to severe according to the amount of involvement. Subtle sport injuries can be treated under supervision of the athletic trainer and with over-the-counter medications along with physical modalities. Severe form of injuries may require medical attention and supervision of a sports physician.

Overuse injuries are injuries caused due to over utilization of a specific joint or extremity beyond the limit of a specific person at their level of sport. These injuries are usually vgue and do not have specific structural involvement. These injuries are usually treated with rest and limitation of activity as well as modification of involvement in sports. If not relieved further investigations including imaging like MRI may be needed to found the cause of pain.

A ligament injury, if partial, is usually treated with RICE protocol (rest, ice, elevation, and compression) along with anti-inflammatory medication. If the ligament is near complete or complete, then the patient may need repair or reconstructive surgery for the ligament to regain stability of the joint.