Treatments to Do Now To Stop Worsening Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries are common in sports, recreation and daily activity. With the inactivity due to COVID  that some athletes had to deal with and the inactivity in the population in general, we are seeing more overuse injuries as people get back into sports and to regular exercise. These types of injuries occur when an accumulation of stress on a joint, tendon or muscle causes enough damage that the body can no longer recover.  They can occur over the course of many months or in a few short weeks, with symptoms gradually worsening over time.  

If you suspect you might be in the early stages of an overuse injury, here are some of the possible warning signs: 

• The onset of pain may coincide with 

  • A significant change in your training, activity or sport schedule either in the last 1-2 weeks or past 2-3 months.  

  •  recent break in your sport/activity (in the last 1-2 weeks) followed by a full and rapid return to previous levels. 

• The pain:

  • is intermittent 

  • May feel like soreness in or around the joint and not the muscle

  • Feels better initially with activity but then worsens the more you do

  • Improves noticeably with resting or after sleeping.   

Luckily, if you start to notice these symptoms there are proactive steps you can take  to help your body heal.  Here are some of the best ways to treat overuse injuries in the first 1-2 weeks of symptoms onset:

-Modify the painful activities:  Step 1 is to reduce demand to levels your body can tolerate.  Listen  to your body - take notice of what activities cause the most  pain/soreness and how long you can perform a particular activity before the pain starts.  Once you have a clear understanding of the what, the when and the how you can begin to reduce without eliminating.  There are a lot of different variables you can modify to get the desired effect (less pain) without stopping your activity or sport.  Just remember this is only a temporary reduction and will provide the quickest path to recovery. 

-Perform pain-free movements: Can you move the injured area through a range that is 100% pain-free? If so, do that 10-15x, a few times a day. The goal is to simply move without pain and this action will stimulate healing and help the body seperate pain and movement which is critical in recovery.  

-Compression: An Inexpensive brace or sleeve around the injury provides some gentle compression.  This reduces pain and improves movement efficiency.

-Ice, heat and elevation:  Choose the one that feels best for you; the research suggests they have similar benefits  Elevating at the same time will also help with circulation making the ice or heat more effective. 

-Take care of your body: be consistent with your nightly routine and sleep schedule, avoid caffeine 6 hours before going to sleep, drink plenty of water, make sure you are getting proper and adequate nutrition.  All these considerations help your body heal faster.  

-Stay positive and stay consistent:  If you can reduce your pain by following the above suggestions then chances are your injury will get better on its own!

At Complete Game Physical Therapy we work with athletes and all patients who are recovering from injury and illness. We are conveniently located in Lowell and Tewksbury and we always provide a positive, supportive, personalized approach Visit us at completegamept.com to request an appointment online or give us a call at 978-710-7204. We look forward to helping you!