Overuse injury: How to prevent training injuries

Overuse injury can happen when you try to take on too much physical activity too quickly. Understand how to pace yourself while getting fit.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Thinking of starting a new physical activity program or ramping up your current training program? If so, you may be at risk of an overuse injury — which could ultimately prevent you from being active. Find out what can cause an overuse injury and how to safely increase your activity level.

Common causes of overuse injury

An overuse injury is any type of muscle or joint injury, such as tendinitis or a stress fracture, that's caused by repetitive trauma. An overuse injury typically stems from:

• Training errors. Training errors can occur when you enthusiastically take on too much physical activity too quickly. Going too fast, exercising for too long or simply doing too much of one type of physical activity can strain your muscles and lead to an overuse injury.
• Technique errors. Improper technique can also take its toll on your body. If you use poor form as you do a set of strength training exercises, swing a golf club or throw a baseball, for example, you may overload certain muscles and cause an overuse injury.

Although an overuse injury can happen to anyone, you may be more prone to overuse injuries if you have certain medical conditions. Overuse injuries are also more likely to occur as you get older — especially if you don't recognize the impact aging can have on your body and modify your routine accordingly.

Avoiding overuse injury

Most overuse injuries are avoidable. To prevent an overuse injury:

• Address medical conditions. It's always a good idea to talk to your doctor before starting a new type of physical activity — especially if you have a medical condition that may predispose you to an overuse injury. You may need to correct imbalances in flexibility and strength or, if you've had a previous injury, work to restore range of motion, muscle strength and stability. Your doctor may offer tips to help make physical activity safe. If you have a muscle weakness in your hip, for example, your doctor may show you exercises to address the problem and prevent knee pain.
• Use proper form and gear. Whether you're starting a new type of physical activity or you've been playing a sport for a long time, consider taking lessons. Using the correct technique is crucial to preventing overuse injuries. Also make sure you wear proper shoes for the activity. Consider replacing your shoes for every 300 miles you walk or run, or — if you regularly exercise — at least twice a year.
• Pace yourself. If you're starting a new physical activity program, avoid becoming a weekend warrior. Compressing your physical activity for the week into two days can lead to an overuse injury. Instead, aim for at least two hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity — preferably spread throughout the week. Always take time to warm up before physical activity and cool down afterward. Also keep in mind that as you age, you may not be able to do the same activities that you did years ago. Consider ways to modify activities to suit your abilities.
• Gradually increase your activity level. When changing your activity level or the amount of weight you're using while strength training, keep it gradual — such as increases of no more than 10 percent each week until you reach your new goal.
• Mix up your routine. Instead of focusing on one type of exercise, consider combining two or more types of physical activity, also known as cross-training. Doing a variety of low-impact activities — such as walking, biking, swimming and water jogging — in moderation can help prevent overuse injuries by allowing your body to use different muscle groups. Strive to include aerobic exercise, strength training, stretching, core stability and balance training elements in your routine.

• Recovering from overuse injury

  If you suspect that you have an overuse injury, consult your doctor. He or she will likely ask you to stop doing the activity that caused the injury and recommend medication for any pain and inflammation. More important, make sure you discuss with your doctor your physical activity program — including any recent changes in technique, intensity, duration, frequency or types of activity. Identifying the root cause of your overuse injury and ensuring that you're using the proper technique will help you correct the problem and avoid repeating it. When you think the overuse injury has healed, ask your doctor to check that you've completely regained strength, motion, flexibility and balance before beginning the activity again.

  Playing it safe

  Don't allow overuse injuries to prevent you from being physically active. By working with your doctor, listening to your body and pacing yourself, you can avoid this common setback and safely increase your activity level.

Sports Injury Warning Signs

Warning Signs of Serious Injuries

By Elizabeth Quinn, About.com

Updated: January 23, 2008

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

There are some common tip-offs you should recognize as warning signs that you have an injury that needs your attention. While some sports injuries are immediately evident, others can creep up slowly and progressively get worse. If you don't pay attention to both types of injuries, chronic problems can develop.

For detailed information on specific injuries, check out the sports injury by body part reference page.

Don't Ignore These Sports Injury Warning Signs

• Joint Pain
  Joint pain, particularly in the joints of the knee, ankle, elbow and wrist, should never be ignored. Because these joints are not covered by muscle, pain here is rarely of muscular origin. Joint pain that lasts more than 48 hours requires a physician's diagnosis.

• Tenderness at a Specific Point
  If you can elicit pain at a specific point in a bone, muscle or joint, by pressing your finger into it, you may have a significant injury. If the same spot on the other side of the body does not produce the same pain, you should probably see a physician.

• Swelling
  Nearly all sports injuries cause swelling. Swelling is usually quite obvious and can be seen, but occasionally you may just feel as though something is swollen even though it look normal. Swelling usual goes hand-in-hand with pain, redness and heat. Swelling within a joint often causes pain, stiffness, and may produce a clicking sound as the tendons snap over one another after having been pushed into a new position from the swelling.

• Reduced Range of Motion
  If swelling isn't obvious, you can usually find it by checking for a reduced range of motion in a joint. If there is significant swelling within a joint, you will lose range of motion -- the limb will only go so far in each direction. Again, compare one side of the body with the other to identify major differences; if there are any, you likely have an injury that needs attention.

• Comparative Weakness
  Comparing one side to the other for weakness is often hard to do, but can be helpful when assessing an injury. One way to tell is to lift the same weight with the right and left side and look at the result. Or try to place body weight on one leg and then the other. A difference in your ability to support your weight is another tip-off to an injury that requires attention.

• Numbness and Tingling
  Never ignore numbness or tingling. Such sensations are often related to nerve compression, and these warning signs may indicate serious injury that should always be seen by a physician.

Treating Sports Injuries

If you recognize any of the above warning signs the goal is to prevent further damage. The best way to do this is to stop all activity and begin treatment immediately. Don't let the problem get any worse and don't let the swelling continue. Look for an obvious cause of the injury such as poorly fitting equipment or a missed step while sprinting. If you can locate the source of the injury, you can begin to remedy the situation.

The first treatment indicated for any acute injury is reducing any swelling by using the R.I.C.E. treatment method. (Rest, ice, compression and elevation). Swelling causes pain and loss of motion, which in turn will limit use of the muscles. If you don't use the muscles, they will weaken, and shorten and resist repair.

Do not apply heat to an acute injury. Heat will increase circulation and increase swelling. (see: Should I Heat or Ice My Injury?)

Immediate Injury Treatment Step-by-Step

1. Stop the activity immediately.
2. Wrap the injured part in a compression bandage.
3. Apply ice to the injured part (use a bag of crushed ice or a bag of frozen vegetables) for no more than 15 minutes at a time.
4. Let the area warm completely before applying ice again, in order to prevent frostbite.
5. Elevate the injured part to reduce swelling.
6. Get to a physician for a proper diagnosis of any serious injury.

_{Source Anybody's Sports Medicine Book, James Garrick, M.D. and Peter Radetsky, Ph.D.}

Hip Strengthening Exercises

Where I train in Tae Kwon Do (Hwa Rang Kwan - http://hrksf.com/), there have been a lot of hip injuries lately.   It's normal wear and tear on overused muscles from kicking.  This prompted me to look up methods of prevention.

I found a great article on how to strengthen the hip.  You can do this as prevention, but if you have been experiencing hip problems, you should probably clear additional exercises with your medical practitioner.

Here's the article I found:

Hip Strengthening Exercises

By Laura Inverarity, D.O., About.com

Updated: January 7, 2008

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

The hip joint is known as a large "ball and socket" joint because the round head of the thigh bone fits into the cup of the pelvis bone. The hip is held in place by strong ligaments as well as muscles that surround the joint.

The hip is a common site of osteoarthritis. To help protect the hip joint from "wear and tear," it is important to strengthen the muscles that support it.

Review three quick and easy exercises that will target and strengthen the muscles of the hip.

Leg Lift:

• Lie on your right side.
• Bend your right leg, and rest your left foot on the ground.
• Slowly lift your top leg 2 feet off the ground.
• Hold for five seconds, then slowly lower the leg.
• Repeat 5 times, then change legs.

Hip Flexion:

• Stand up straight.
• Lift your right leg off the floor; bend it so that you create a 90-degree angle at the hip.
• Hold for five seconds, then slowly lower the leg.
• Repeat 5 times, then change legs.

Wall Slide:

• Stand upright with your back against a wall and feet shoulder width apart.
• Slowly bend your knees, sliding your back down the wall for a count of 5 until your knees are bent at a 45-degree angle (do not bend too much further than this as it will cause increased strain on your knees).
• Hold this position for 5 seconds.
• Begin straightening your knees for a count of five, sliding up the wall until you are fully upright with knees straight.
• Repeat 5 times.

The above exercises can be advanced by placing an ankle weight on the legs. Discontinue if any significant discomfort is experienced, and remember to discuss starting any new exercise program with your physician first.

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/strengtheningexercises/p/HipEx.htm