Overuse Injuries
Topic Overview
Overuse injuries occur from stressing your joints, muscles, or other tissues without allowing them to recover. For example, throwing a baseball at high speeds over and over can stress your shoulder joint and cause an injury to part of that joint (the rotator cuff). Stress fractures, in which a bone breaks from the pressure placed on it through activity, are also common for athletes.
Overuse injuries can be caused by:
- Doing too much too soon.
- Doing intense exercise.
- Not varying your activity or exercise routine.
- Playing sports.
- Doing too much without proper conditioning.
- Not using the proper form for the activity.
- Not using proper equipment, such as wearing poorly fitting shoes.
- Doing too much of an activity at work.
For more information, see the topic:
- Achilles Tendon Problems. (A sign may be pain in the back of the heel.)
- Bursitis and/or Tendon Injury (Tendinopathy). (A sign may be pain in the joints or tendons.)
- Low Back Pain.
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome. (A sign may be pain in the front of the knee.)
- Plantar Fasciitis. (A sign may be pain in the sole of the foot.)
- Rotator Cuff Disorders. (A sign may be shoulder or arm pain.)
- Tennis Elbow. (A sign may be elbow pain.)
Related Information
Credits
ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Heather O. Chambliss, PhD, FACSM - Exercise Science
Current as ofDecember 7, 2017
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Current as of: December 7, 2017