Health blog Category: overuse
Common Injuries with Running
Have you recently started running and are having pain? Increased your mileage and having pain? Increased speed and having pain?
Types of Injuries
All levels and types of runners may experience pain at one point or another. Running injuries most commonly affect the knee, lower leg, and foot. Some of the injuries seen are:
- Knee pain
- ITB Pain
- Patellar tendonitis
- Hamstring strain
- Calf pain
- Achilles Tendonitis
- Plantar Fasciitis
Overuse and training past the point of fatigue, are generally what leads to injury, as the specific structure is unable to perform properly.
Read full blogGrading a Muscle Strain
A muscle strain is a very common injury to muscle tissue that is often caused by overuse/fatigue or excessive tension put on the muscle.
What is actually happening in a muscle strain?
When you strain a muscle, you are essentially overloading the muscle cells capability to provide the force necessary to perform a certain movement. When this happens, the tiny muscle cells tear apart. There is also connective tissue in between the muscle cells that often gets torn as well.
Read full blogNon-Invasive Treatment for that Elbow Issue
Tennis elbow affects the outside of the elbow and doesn’t necessarily involve playing tennis! Treatment should be started immediately for this condition to prevent it from getting worse.
Many people have jobs that require a lot of repetitive elbow movements such as:
- Plumbers
- Mechanics
- Jobs that involve a lot of lifting can get this injury.
What are the symptoms of tennis elbow?
- Pain on the outside of the elbow is the primary complaint, but also pain in the forearm and wrist
- Tenderness to touch along the muscles along the forearm especially near the outside of the elbow where these muscles insert.
What is PFPS…
Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a condition in which the tendons surrounding the knee becomes inflamed. It can also be associated with damage of the cartilage behind the knee cap (patella). PFPS is very common in many people of all age ranges and activity levels.
The most common symptom is knee pain that is described as a dull ache or pain that increases with:
- Stair climbing
- Squatting movements
- Walking after sitting for a prolonged period of time
Other Symptoms of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
- Swelling, especially after exercise
- Restricted range of motion (inability to bend the knee or extend the knee without pain)
- Creaking/popping sensation along the front of the knee or when bending the knee
- Tenderness when you touch the front of the knee or inside border of kneecap
- Instability in the knee
Causes
- Overuse –running or jumping sports can often put repetitive stress on your knee joint, which can cause irritation under the kneecap or along the patella tendon.
The Fancy Word for Knee Discomfort
Patellofemoral pain is a general term used to describe pain that resides in the front of the knee and around the kneecap, also known as the patella. Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, PFPS, is also known as both runners’ and jumpers’ knee due to the type of athletes who commonly complain of the problem. Based on the nicknames of PFPS, most people tend to believe that it can only occur in athletes or those who participate in high intensity sports, however it can also occur in the older and more sedentary populations.
Read full blogShoulder Overuse Injuries
The shoulder is a very mobile joint due to its ball and socket design which gives it a large range of movement. So…it needs to be stabilized by all the muscles and ligaments that surround the joint. Many factors can result in these muscles and ligaments being over worked including:
- Weakness
- Fatigue or muscle endurance limitations
- Over training
- Poor technique with stroke (especially freestyle)
- Tightness
Over time injuries such as swimmer’s shoulder, rotator cuff impingement, and tendinitis occur.
Read full blogPreventing and Treating Sports Injuries
Sports injuries are typically defined as injuries to the musculoskeletal system, including muscles, bones, and tissues such as ligaments, tendons and cartilage.
For many young athletes, the most common injuries occur due to acute trauma or overuse of a joint. Acute trauma is an injury that occurs due to force from a fall or tackle and is usually more easily identified when the injury occurs. There is immediate sharp pain and swelling and it usually leads to a trip to the Emergency room.