CONDITION: Overuse Injury

DESCRIPTION:

Overuse injury:  Most injuries can be divided into two types: acute injuries and overuse injuries. Acute injuries are usually the result of a single, traumatic event, also called a macrotrauma. Common examples include a wrist fracture, ankle sprain, shoulder dislocation and a hamstring muscle strain. Overuse injuries are subtler, and usually occur over time. They are the result of a repetitive microtrauma to the tendons, bones and joints. Common examples include tennis elbow, swimmer's shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, Achilles tendonitis and shin splints.

How does an overuse injury develop?  Bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments get stronger and more functional with exercise and activity. This happens because of an internal process called remodeling, which involves both the breakdown and the build-up of tissue. If breakdown occurs more rapidly than build-up, an injury can result. For example, when a player first begins a sport or activity and tries to do too much too soon, more breakdown than build-up of tissue can result. Poor technique may also be involved. In fact, training errors are the most common cause of overuse injuries. They involve a too rapid acceleration of the intensity, duration or frequency of the activity. Overuse injuries also occur among individuals who return to a sport or activity after an injury and try to make up for lost time. Technical, biomechanical and individual factors may also be involved. For example, imbalances between strength and flexibility around certain joints can predispose an individual to an overuse injury. Body alignment, such as knock-knees, bowed legs, unequal leg lengths and either flat or high arched feet are also factors.

What are the symptoms of an overuse injury?  The most noticeable symptom of an overuse injury is pain. However, afflicted individuals may also experience tingling, weakness, numbness, swelling and/or stiffness in the affected area.

Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of an overuse injury, but they do not address the root of the problem. By strengthening structural weaknesses in the body, as natural medicine treatments like Prolotherapy do, pain associated with an overuse injury may be alleviated permanently.
Discover why we believe that natural medicine treatments are the best way to treat an overuse injury.