Overuse Injuries in Athletes: Preventive Measures and Rehabilitation

What do you picture when you hear the word “sports injury”? Most people might imagine a football player suffering a concussion after a tackle or a skier breaking their leg in a fall. But these aren’t the only types of sports injuries out there. Overuse injuries in athletes are far more common–and if left unaddressed, can lead to severe injuries, too!

An overuse injury occurs due to repeated microtraumas rather than a single major trauma (like a fall). They develop over time, usually due to repetitive movements. As you might expect, they can be common in athletes, as different sports require certain movements:

• A baseball pitcher repeatedly performs throwing motions, putting stress on their shoulder or elbow tendons
• A soccer player’s volume of running and regular surface changes (wet or dry ground), stresses the muscles and tendons in the calf and shin muscles
• A basketball player repeatedly runs and jumps, stressing their knees

Understanding your unique risks can help prevent overuse injuries, as can cross-training and biomechanical corrections. The team at Mana Physical Therapy can perform a comprehensive assessment to help you stop overuse injuries before they develop. And if you do develop one, we’re here to guide you through rehabilitation.

Overuse injuries in athletes can vary wildly. Let’s look at three case studies to help you understand how we help Lake Como, NJ, and East Brunswick, NJ athletes deal with overuse injuries.

Overuse Injuries in Baseball Players: Ryan

Ryan had been a pitcher ever since he was in Little League. Even as an adult, he pitched for an intramural league every spring.

But halfway through the latest season, Ryan began experiencing pain deep in his shoulder joint, and his pitches had become much weaker than they used to be. When he visited our clinic, we confirmed he had developed tendinitis in his rotator cuff.

Ryan had never bothered with cross-training because he played baseball recreationally–he just assumed he didn’t need to. But cross-training is an important part of protecting against overuse injuries. We started him on a strengthening program to improve shoulder and arm strength.

Overuse Injuries in Soccer Players: Elizabeth

Elizabeth was an avid soccer player who attended college on a sports scholarship. She understood that she needed to take special care to prevent injury–or else she wouldn’t have a way of paying her tuition!

She visited us for an in-depth assessment to learn more about how she could prevent injuries. We reviewed her biomechanics and offered some corrections to her running form that would prevent injury and improve her overall performance. And like Ryan, we helped her develop a well-rounded cross-training program to improve general strength, mobility, and fitness.

Overuse Injuries in Basketball Players: Austin

Austin regularly played games of pick-up basketball on the weekend. In fact, it was his preferred way of working out. When he noticed some minor pain in his hamstring muscle after his games, he initially ignored it, assuming it would go away on its own.

Unfortunately, it didn’t. While the pain would come and go at first, it eventually became more persistent. When Austin visited us for a checkup, we confirmed he’d strained his patellar tendon.

He took some time off from basketball as he recovered, avoiding jumping for a while and opting for low-impact gym workouts instead. We also worked with him to improve his form and technique so he would be less likely to suffer a future injury. And when he did return to his pickup basketball games, he never skipped a warmup!

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Overuse injuries in athletes don’t mean the end of a sports career! With a little help from the physical therapists at Mana Physical Therapy, you can prevent these common injuries and keep living an active life.