a bruise to the leg which is typically followed by a painful hardening or tightening of the afflicted muscles

a sudden cramp in the leg or foot, that can be cured with massage or stretching

a sudden, involuntary cramp in a muscle, especially in the leg or arm

A contusion or bruise to any muscle resulting in intramuscular bleeding. No other injury should be called a charley horse.

A charley horse is a North American term for a painful contusion of the quadriceps muscle of the anterior thigh that commonly results in a muscular hematoma and sometimes several weeks of pain and disability.1,2 It often occurs in sports when an athlete is struck by an opponent's knee, in a manner not unlike the kick of a horse, perhaps the reason for its name. In the UK, such an injury is known as a Dead Leg, corky, or corkie.