.Self-treatmentDon’t even try!Medical treatmentThere is debate as to whether surgical repair is preferable to encasing your lower leg in plaster of Paris, which allows fibrous healing of the tendon to occur before rehabilitating it. The answer lies in the personal

.Self-treatmentAny runner not using RICE by now must have been living on another planet! In this case, ice is a mainstay not only of treatment but also of rehabilitation. If you cannot walk with the injury you may require crutches in the early stages, but try not to become

application, but this can be repeated hourly.You can use ice in other ways during rehabilitation. Firstly, you should reapply it if you feel twinges as you gently stretch out the injury on the subsequent days, and it can also be used as a massage medium which

, physiotherapy and rehabilitation are vital to gain full, pain-free function.Can you run through it?/Recovery timeRunning through a meniscal injury is an open invitation to long-term disability. Following arthroscopic treatment you would hope to be fully

at the expense of worsening the bursa. Recovery timeAfter surgery, the usual rehabilitation and training downgrade mean that racing will be three to six months away.

in the long term because the tendon heals slowly.Medical treatmentA particularly acute case may require weeks in plaster before rehabilitation can begin. Laser treatment may be more effective than ultrasound therapy, while deep massage and steroid injections

appropriate treatment in the early stages. You should not deviate from its use, continuing the treatment during rehabilitation. The most effective exercise to stretch the muscles safely resembles the yogic lotus position.Medical treatmentA doctor and a

to be rehabilitated, so doctors are increasingly reluctant to apply scalpel to skin. Some electronic treatments such as ultrasound put energy into your tendon, but as the blood supply is so poor, this can technically ‘fry’ it, so it must be used very carefully. Laser

and rehabilitate it. A minor sprain may simply make you hobble for a few minutes before it eases completely, but a severe tear that makes weight-bearing painful could stop you completely for two or three weeks.

.Self-treatmentYou cannot go wrong with RICE, always remembering that this should be continued through rehabilitation, as the muscle is stretched and power is regained. Not only is the commonest cause of hamstring injury an unrehabilitated prior tear, but a weak hamstring