An overview of common lower extremity soft tissue injuries in athletes

Lower limb soft tissue injuries are commonly encountered in sports medicine especially in athletes and long distance runners. Dilemmas can exist in identifying the correct aetiology as it can frequently be multifactorial. Management of such injuries in lower limbs is evolving as more people perform physical exercise and play sport. This article is an overview of common lower limb soft tissue injuries seen in athletes.Lower extremity soft tissue injuries are common among athletes and non-athlete runners.1 Running injuries can be defined as pain or symptoms associated with running or starting within a specific time span from the beginning of a training programme, which forces the individual to stop training or decrease intensity.2 The knee is the commonest site involved comprising up to 44% of running injuries.2,3 This article outlines the natural history, pathophysiology, investigation and management of common conditions.