Most athletes or sportspeople suffer from injuries during training. There are basically four types of injury:

Muscle Soreness - This affects both a muscle and its points of insertion and generally lasts up to 48 hours. It is usually a result of intense exercise, and is caused by small tears to muscle fibres.

Muscle Strain - This is slightly more severe with more tears to muscle fibres resulting in pain when moving which restricts range of motion and performance. A very bad muscle strain may take months to heal.

Acute Sports Injuries - These are injuries that endure and result in pain that will prevent a person from exercising. They may also require the attention of a doctor.

Chronic Problems - This type of injury can persist for months or recur over several years.

The most common way of treating joint, muscle, tendon and ligament injuries is RICE: 

REST - avoid activities that cause pain to avoid further trauma
ICE - put ice or cold compress on the affected area to ease pain and swelling
COMPRESS - wrap the affected area with a bandage to reduce swelling (do not wrap it too tightly because it may hinder circulation).
ELEVATE - keep the affected area raised; this will decrease the flow of blood to the elevated area and helps reduce swelling

If the symptoms persist longer than two weeks, or worsen despite these initial therapies, or if the injury inhibits normal daily functioning, SEE A DOCTOR.

(to be continued)