Overuse injuries are commonly caused by minor trauma involving soft tissue injuries that affect the bone, muscles, ligaments, and/or tendons.
Common Types of Overuse Injuries
A few common types of overuse injuries include Jumper’s Knee, Osteochondritis dissecans, Sever’s disease, shin splints, Sinding-Larsen-Johansson disease, Spondylolisthesis, Spondylolysis, and stress fractures.
- Symptoms of Jumper’s Knee include tenderness below the knee or the upper shin area. The condition may be caused by repeated pulling of the patellar tendon in the knee, leading to inflammation and pain, particularly during jumping.
- Osteochondritis dissecans is characterized by knee and joint pain, and swelling in the knee, elbow, and ankle.
- Sever’s disease may cause heel pain with limping, often as a result of repetitive running or jumping activities that force the Achilles tendon to pull on the heel bone.
- Shin splints may be caused by excessive running, running on hard surfaces, and improperly wearing shoes. Symptoms include pain and tenderness over the shin area.
- Sinding-Larsen-Johansson disease may lead to knee pain, particularly after jumping, and is typically caused by a fracture of the kneecap.
- Spondylolisthesis causes back pain due to excessive flexion and extension of the low back. This condition is common in football linemen, ice skaters, and gymnasts.
- Spondylolysis also causes back pain due to excessive flexion and extension of the low back.
- Stress fractures are also a common result of overuse injuries. Stress fractures are weak spots or small cracks in the bone that may occur in the foot as a result of training for basketball, running, and other sports. Patients don’t typically experience swelling, but may have increased pain and tenderness during movement.
Treatment for an overuse injury will depend on the severity of the condition, type of the condition, expectation for the course of the condition, and patient preference.
Treatment Options For Overuse Injuries
Patients with overuse injuries may need a treatment plan that incorporates pain management techniques, joint and soft tissue injections, and occupational medicine. The right treatment will depend on the patient’s level of pain and overall physical condition.
Treatment for overuse injuries may incorporate pain management techniques, such as cold and heat therapy, gentle exercise, physical therapy, therapeutic massage, biofeedback, music therapy, mind-body techniques, and occupational therapy to help manage their symptoms. Each patient will receive personalized recommendations from their doctor for managing pain.
Westcare Clinics also offers joint and soft tissue injections to help minimize pain from an overuse injury. These injections may include epidural injections (interlaminar and transforaminal), piriformis injection, sacroiliac joint injections, and trigger point injections.
Westcare Clinics offers occupational medicine for patients who need to continue working while their injury heals. Our team of healthcare practitioners is also available to help employers adapt the workplace and worker responsibilities according to the physical limitations of an employee undergoing treatment.
Advanced Treatment
Patients experiencing severe symptoms may need further treatment for overuse injuries. Advanced treatment may include surgery, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustment, physical therapy, and other forms of rehabilitation. The Westcare Clinics team is happy to answer any questions patients may have about obtaining advanced treatment.
