Over use injuries
Can you explain an overuse injury? My daughter is a runner who broke her ankle. She gradually increased her activity as recommended by orthopedic doctor but now has an over use injury. She can do any physical activites or physical therapy for 2 weeks.
1 Comment found
May PT
First, what is an overuse injury? The condition occurs when any biological tissue – muscle, bone, tendon, ligament, etc. – is stressed beyond its physical limit. This results in microtrauma to the body part; that is, microscopic tears which lead to small amounts of bleeding and swelling within the injured area. For instance, runners an d dancers frequently sustain stress or fatigue fractures, but musicians more commonly develop “tendinitis.” The reason I put the word in quotes is that often the painful part is not the tendon itself, but the muscle which is attached to the tendon. However, since the word tendinitis is so familiar to musicians, we’ll use it with the understandin g that it refers to the muscle-tendon unit. Overuse injuries are classified as acute or chronic. The acute overuse injury occurs when a musician learns a new phrase or trill and is determined to master it before going to bed that evening. He practices it over and over again for three or four hours, and the next day his hand or arm is stiff and painful. The chronic overuse injury takes place more insidiously over a longer period of time. Such is the tendinitis that is first evidenced as a very mild discomfort and over the course of weeks or months becomes progressively severe.