If you love to work out or play a sport and this is something you do on a continual basis, you need to be careful that you do not get an overuse injury. Below is some information about what this is, what can cause it, what you can do to prevent it, and how it is treated.
Overuse Injuries
An overuse injury can happen if you use muscles and tendons repeatedly. For example, if you are a softball fastpitch pitcher and play a lot of games, you could easily have an overuse injury in the wrist. This is because these pitchers have to flick their wrist each time they release the ball. If you have an overuse injury, it affects your joints, muscles, and tendons.
Some common overuse injuries you have likely heard about include runner's knee, tennis elbow and shin splints.
Things That Can Cause Overuse Injuries
In many cases, you will get an overuse injury if you are not trained in the correct way. For example, if you are deadlifting weights, you must maintain the right posture. You also may not be trained or coached properly, or your trainer may have you do your work out too often and at a too high intensity.
How to Avoid Overuse Injuries
You should always make sure you warm up before doing any type of workout and then cool down when you are finished. The way to warm up is stretch out the muscles you will be using. Cooling down means you start slowing down gradually as you get to the end of your workout. Take a day of rest between your workouts, and stop if your muscles start hurting too much. Some pain is normal as you are working out but you should know when the pain goes beyond what is normal for you.
If you have a trainer, they should be experienced training the type of activity you are doing. You also need to make sure you have the proper equipment, if needed. For example, if you are a runner, you need to have a good pair of running shoes.
How Overuse Injuries Are Treated
If you feel constant pain in one area, you should see an orthopedic doctor. If you are diagnosed with an overuse injury, they will likely put you on medication to help relieve the inflammation and help with the pain. The doctor may send you to a physical therapist to teach you the right type of exercises to strengthen up your muscles to prevent further injury. The physical therapist will give you exercises that you need to do at home to continue your treatment.
If you continue to have pain after taking medication and physical therapy, the doctor may suggest that you have surgery. For more information, contact Soloway Stephen MD Arthritis & Rheumatology or a similar organization.
Share11 August 2016
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