The most general and common cause of injuries to tendons, ligaments, and fascia is abnormal movement of the body’s limbs. The body is a creature of habit, becoming accustomed to routines and physical behaviors. When the body is suddenly exposed to new movement, this creates a strain on the tendons, ligaments, and fascia as they are forced to adapt to this new motion. It could be as simple as a right-handed person who begins using his left arm for daily activities like brushing teeth or combing hair. Adversely, an injury to these tissues can also be caused by repetition.

In more strenuous activities (like heavy lifting or athletic competition) the body could be exposed to more serious injuries to these tissues if their thresholds are compromised. In some cases, though, the injuries could be caused by stress alone. The body’s reaction to certain situations can cause unintentional physical strain on the tendons, ligaments, and fascia.

Tendons:

• Tears: The tendon will experience tears any time that the force of motion pulls it in an awkward direction. If the force is small, the tendon will simply be stretched, causing mild pain and irritation. As the force becomes greater and more stressful to the tendon, that pulling will turn into tearing. Also referred to as a sprain, these tears in the tendon can lead to greater damage to the body without proper treatment. There are two types of tears in tendons: acute and degenerative. Acute tears occur when the tendon experiences movement inconsistent with the body’s repetition. Degenerative tears occur from excessive use over time.
• Tendonitis: When your body becomes accustomed to a repetitive activity, like throwing a ball, typing, or lifting and stacking boxes, your tendons become aware of those routines and get used to that consistent performance. However, every time that you change a motion in that routine, you’re damaging your tendon. The simplest change in arm, wrist, or knee motion can cause tiny pulls and tears on your tendons. Over time, as you accumulate many of these pulls and tears, and you fail to allow them to heal properly, you will develop tendonitis or tendinosis. The difference between the two is that the former is accompanied by inflammation while the latter is not.
• Subluxation: When one or two of the tendons experience trauma and slip out of place, subluxation has occurred. This type of tendon injury is most commonly found in people with abnormal bone shape or in cases of badly sprained ankles. While not a serious injury, subluxation should be treated immediately to stave off more serious complications.

Ligaments

• Sprains: Ligament sprains occur when the joint is impacted in such a way that the ligaments become completely torn. This could be the result of any variety of repetitive or inconsistent activities by the joint, including both forced and accidental twisting of the joint, a sudden cease of a forceful action, shifting weight and adding sudden pressure to an inactive or lesser active joint, awkward impact or positioning, a blunt force impacting the exterior of the joint, or an imposition on the joint that would attempt or succeed at bending it in an incongruent manner. In a ligament sprain, a complete tear of the ligament occurs.
• Strains: A strain occurs in three levels – Mild, Moderate, and Severe. A mild strain involves a light pull of the ligament, and is caused by anything as simple as a misstep or bad bending of the joint. There is no considerable damage in a mild strain. A moderate strain occurs when there is a slight tear in the ligament, and a severe strain means that the ligament has suffered a serious tear, most likely due to overuse or excessive stress on the joint. Strains can be caused by any of the same actions as a sprain, however the result is less severe, as the ligament does not completely tear in a strain.

Fascia

The fascia is unique in the way that it can be damaged, because it protects the nerves and can manipulate sensation based on not only awkward movement, but also stress. As the body grows, so does the fascia. However, when the body loses weight and decreases in size, the fascia has to adapt. This can lead to unnecessary stress on the fascia, and the fascia responds in different ways to stress. The fascia can become stiff under heavy duress, which leaves the nerves susceptible to aggravation and irritation. In other situations, stress can cause the fascia to become slippery and sticky, which means that the nerves can be pushed and pulled and then left in unnatural positions, causing pain and irritation.