A sprain is caused by twisting your ankle. Your foot usually turns in or under but may turn to the outside. An ankle sprain is an injury that causes a stretch or tear of one or more ligaments in the ankle joint. Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that connect bones at the joint.  Sprains may be classified as mild, moderate, or severe. 
Most sprains occur on the outside part of the ankle, but they can occur on the inside as well.

Achilles tendonitis causes pain and may cause swelling over the Achilles tendon. The tendon will be tender and may be swollen. You will have pain when you rise up on your toes and pain with stretching of the tendon. The range of motion of your ankle may be limited.  When it tears or ruptures (due to violent stretching), you may feel a pop. If there is a complete tear, you will be unable to lift your heel off the ground or point your toes. 

Achilles tendonitis can be caused by the following:

• overuse of the Achilles tendon
• tight calf muscles
• tight Achilles tendons
• lots of uphill running
• increasing the amount or intensity of training, sometimes along with switching to racing flats, racing shoes with less heel lift
• over-pronation, a problem where your feet roll inward and flatten out more than normal when walking or running
• wearing high heels at work and then switching to a lower heeled workout shoe.
  

The hip is a "ball-and-socket" joint where the "ball" at the top of the thigh bone (femur) fits inside the "socket" in the pelvis (acetabulum). A natural substance in the body called cartilage lubricates the joint. When the bone and/or cartilage of the hip becomes diseased or damaged from arthritis, hip fractures, bone death or other causes, the joint can stiffen and be very painful.

A total hip replacement may be recommended for patients who experience severe, chronic hip pain and can't do what they want or need to do in daily life. In a total hip replacement, the diseased bone and cartilage are replaced with an artificial joint called a prosthesis. The surgery takes from two to four hours. Patients usually enjoy immediate relief from joint pain after the surgery.

Alternatives to this procedure include:

• using acetaminophen, aspirin, or other medications for the pain and inflammation
• limiting activity and using a walking aid such as a cane or walker
• avoiding activities that make the pain worse, such as climbing stairs or walking long distances
• using heat packs to relieve pain
• having the hip joint fused together
• choosing not to have treatment while recognizing the risks of your condition.