photo: http://www.firstaid4sport.co.uk
It has been very nice weather in Chicago. Many people have enjoyed physical activities under this nice weather such as running, cycling, playing soccer and etc. In particular, a running season has started in Chicago area, and many races have taken places on every weekend. Therefore, many runners have trained a lot for the races. Overuse injuries have been common among runners; however, any athletes regardless types of sports have suffered from them. Overuse injuries are not only for endurance sports athletes. I would like to shear some information about overuse injuries and prevention of them.
Five things you need to know about overuse injuries
- Overuse injuries can be caused by improper training and technique, overtraining, lack of rest, and muscle weakness and imbalances. For youth, early specialization can be a cause.
- Long term effects from overuse injuries include loosing playing time, loss of physical function and psychological stress.
- Common overuse injuries are general stress, inflammation and tendinitis.
- Tendency of overuse injuries include gradual onset, undiagnosed for long time and untreated for long period of time.
- Stress fracture is also a common overuse injury, and it occur when impact cannot be absorbed due to muscle fatigue and it affects to the bone.
Five things you need to know about overuse injury prevention
- Do cross training. Participate in a variety of sports.
- Do not overtrain. Have at least one day off a week. Rest is a part of training.
- Have good nutrition for recovery. Nutrients help to repair damaged connective tissues.
- Take time off for a few months after a season from one sport. It helps body to recover from injuries and fatigue. It also helps to avoid burnout. Forces on strength and conditioning during this period.
- Have a yearly physical exam to find life-threatening conditions and predisposed overuse injury conditions.
Reference: NATA News April 2016
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