Your Guide to Overuse Injuries
By Sara Butler
Chiropractors see a lot of injuries that are the result of overuse. You don’t even have to be an athlete to sustain one, just someone who performs the same movements over and over again and ends up with a strain as a result. Overuse injuries are their own beast, so here’s what you need to know about them so you can treat them and hopefully avoid them in the future.
Where Can an Overuse Injury Occur?
The truth is that nearly every part of your body can be impacted by an overuse injury. They are most often seen in:
- Tendons
- Soft tissues
- Bursa (fluid filled sacs in your joints)
- Joints
- Cartilage
- Nerve tissue
- Bone
When you perform a task that applies stress to your body, then your body adapts to this stress by strengthening and thickening the tissues involved. The muscles get stronger, sometimes larger, and bone density increases. But, when this activity is applied and your body can’t adapt to it, then the continual overload will cause small injuries that lead to inflammation and eventually pain.
Signs of Overuse Injury
If you experience the following, you may have an overuse injury:
- Redness
- Warm to the touch
- Swelling
- Restricted function or range of motion
In the beginning, you may not notice any of these symptoms, but as time goes on it will become noticeable and start to cause discomfort or pain. You may first notice stiffness or soreness, especially in the morning.
What You Can Do
Whether you’re an athlete, have a physically demanding job, or perform many small tasks over and over again (such as typing) you need to be on the lookout for an overuse injury. You can try to head off overuse injuries at the pass by:
- Seeing your chiropractor regularly
- Warming up appropriately when exercising
- Take frequent breaks at work to stretch
- Concentrate on posture and technique
- Listen to your body to ensure you don’t push too far
Overuse injuries can create major problems, but they don’t have to if you remain diligent and on the lookout for signs and symptoms. If you have concerns about an overuse injury, discuss it with your chiropractor during your next adjustment at The Joint Chiropractic! Your chiropractor has a lot of experience with the diagnosis and treatment of injuries like this, so they know what to look for and how to help you.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.