Overuse injuries

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Overuse injuries

Overuse injuries occur from stressing your joints, muscles, or other tissues without allowing them to recover. For example, throwing a baseball at high speeds over and over can stress your shoulder joint and cause an injury to part of that joint (the rotator cuff). Stress fractures, in which a bone breaks from the pressure placed on it through activity, are also common for athletes. Anyone who does too much activity without proper conditioning or proper equipment is at risk for injury.

For more information, see the topics:

• Achilles Tendon Problems. (A sign may be pain in the back of the heel.)
• Bursitis and/or Tendon Injury (Tendinopathy). (A sign may be pain in the joints or tendons.)
• Low Back Pain.
• Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome. (A sign may be pain in the front of the knee.)
• Plantar Fasciitis. (A sign may be pain in the sole of the foot.)
• Rotator Cuff Disorders. (A sign may be shoulder or arm pain.)
• Tennis Elbow. (A sign may be elbow pain.)

Credits

Last updated:	August 26, 2008
Author:	Debby Golonka, MPH
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Heather Chambliss, PhD - Exercise Science/Weight Management
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC