A bruise and a strain are two different medical diagnoses that can be related to the same injury if presented together. A strain is an injury, most likely a tear to the muscle, while a bruise, also called a contusion, is usually the result of blunt force to the muscle, causing bleeding.

The upper back is an area women are prone to store fat. However, you can make your back smaller by performing a regular cardiovascular and muscle-toning regimen. Resistance training will strengthen and tone the area, but cardio is more effective at burning the fat; this includes fat on your back.

The lat pulldown isn't a glamorous exercise. It's not overly complex and it doesn't require a lot of agility or coordination to perform. Using a lat pulldown cable machine doesn't exude rawness or fierceness like performing a barbell bent-over row or a dead hang pullup does.

The core is the collective term used to describe the muscles that control your spine, specifically your abdominals, waist and lower back. Many exercisers spend workout time focusing on their core muscles in the hope of developing a six-pack midsection.

The symptoms of any illness generally keep you out of the gym as long as the illness lasts. Once your symptoms begin to fade, your thoughts may turn back to the gym. The exercise may help you regain your strength as you recover from the illness.

Your triceps -- the muscles on the back of your arms -- has three heads. While all three aspects of your triceps function to extend your arm, or straighten out your elbow, the long head of your triceps crosses your shoulder joint.

The deadlift is a strength-building exercise that is a staple of powerlifters and other athletes looking to get stronger. The deadlift is typically performed with a barbell and heavy weight, giving it the potential to cause back strain or muscle tears if not performed correctly.

Cable weight exercises let you perform resistance exercises that strengthen and develop target muscles in a variety of ways. The equipment is especially suited for developing muscle groups in the upper body, including the pectorals and the latissimus dorsi.

You may not know where your lumbar multifidi muscles are located, but you can't ignore them when you have chronic back pain. According to the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma, the multifidi are the deepest layer of muscles along your spine. You have more than one multifidus muscle.

Pain in your lumbar spine is often caused by compression of your sciatic nerve, which runs from the back of your hips and down your legs. This condition is known as sciatica and symptoms include sharp pain in the lower back that can shoot down one or both legs.

It does not matter if it is sudden and severe or chronic and achy -- upper back pain can put a crimp on your daily activities. However, upper back injuries are usually short-lived and the result of a definable problem such as poor posture or a sports injury.

A fractured foot can take you out of the game for weeks at a time. Since the bone is fractured, it needs to fuse back together during the healing process for you to gain full mobility once again. It can seem like a long process, especially if you're anxious to start exercising again.