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Muscle contusions, or bruises, are second only to strains as a leading cause of sports injuries. Most contusions are minor and heal quickly, without requiring the athlete to be removed from the game. However, severe contusions can cause deep tissue damage, which may lead to complications and/or keep the athlete out of sports for months.

A charley horse, or cramp, is an involuntary, forcibly contracted muscle that does not relax, resulting in sudden and intense pain. Cramps can affect any muscle under your voluntary control (skeletal muscle), and can involve part or all of a muscle, or several muscles in a group. The most commonly affected muscle groups are: back of the lower leg/calf (gastrocnemius), back of the thigh (hamstrings), and front of the thigh (quadriceps).