The femur is made up of your thighbone which rotates on the tibia. The patella, or what we call the kneecap, is located at the end of the femur. The fibula is a thin bone attached to the muscles of the lower leg.

The knee is one of the most complex joints in our bodies and therefore easily injured. The knee is made up of four bones, ligaments, two groups of muscles, and cartilage.

Common knee injuries include strains and tears of muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your knee. Athletes are especially prone to injuries of their knee ligaments, like patellar tendinopathy (Jumper’s knee). To read more about sports injuries please refer to the treatment section.

Another important structure is the meniscus, which is a piece of cartilage protecting the joint and acting as a shock absorber between the bones.

Mechanical disorders affecting the back include injuries like muscle strains, osteoarthritis, herniated discs, and spinal stenosis. Back pain can also result from acquired conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis, scoliosis, ankylosing spondylitis, and spinal infections.

It is mostly caused by mechanical disorders associated with overuse of the back and spine, accidents, falls or lifting something heavy. It can also develop gradually due to degenerative changes caused by aging. In about 10 percent of the cases, back pain is caused by a systemic disorder.

Back pain affects approximately 80 percent of the world’s population.

Back pain can be acute or chronic, can strike you suddenly or develop slowly over time, and may spread out to other regions such as shoulders, neck, legs and more.

Pain in the shoulder can develop due to arthritis, inflammation, trauma, tears, dislocations, and fractures.

The shoulder is made up of three bones: the shoulder blade (scapula), the upper arm bone (humerus), and the collarbone (clavicle). The humerus fits into the scapula like a ball and socket. The shoulder can turn in many directions and is therefore also easy to dislocate. The rotator cuff, made of muscles and tendons, attaches the upper arm to the shoulder blade and helps to lift and rotate the arm.

Between the rotator cuff and the bone is a lubricating sac that protects the tendons and allows them to glide freely.

Rheumatic diseases can affect any joint in our bodies, causing pain and inflammation. More than a hundred conditions are classified as being rheumatic, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and ankylosing spondylitis.

Rheumatic symptoms include pain, soreness, stiffness, and symptomatic worsening in response to weather changes.

Although fibromyalgia does not cause inflammation, it is sometimes referred to as a rheumatic condition due to symptoms such as fatigue and chronic pain.

While some rheumatic conditions may be caused by wear and tear of the joints, others can be caused by autoimmune diseases when your own body attacks the lining of joints, like arthritis.

Sprains and strains are among the most common sports injuries, alongside knee, muscle, and tendon injuries. Fractures and dislocations are also frequent. These types of injuries are usually accompanied by pain, inflammation, swelling, and stiffness.

Sports injuries are not restricted to just professional athletes; many of us are physically active at least to some degree. Even everyday activities like walking your dog can result in a sprained ankle or a strained muscle.

Although sprains and strains have similar symptoms, they involve different body parts. A sprain involves the stretching or tearing of a ligament, whereas a strain involves the stretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon. While a sprain most commonly occurs in ankles, a strain mostly affects the thigh and lower back.