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Etiology of Overuse Injuries

By Dr. Richard Izzo

Overuse injuries are defined as a gradual breakdown in the bodily system due to repetitive physical stress without adequate repair time.

Causes include:

• Inadequate warm up or cool down
• Running too hard on easy days- (new athletes get swept up in the emotion of the moment)
• Too many hard days- trying to train like the pros while working full time
• Ramping up mileage without letting the body acclimate to the increased stress
• Structural and biomechanical imbalances- i.e. unequal leg length
• Lack of sleep, Poor diet
• Poor muscle strength or muscle imbalances
• Chronic injuries
• Poor shoe fit

• Age
• General stress levels
• Work
• Responsibilities to loved ones

• IT band syndrome
• Hamstring strain
• Patella tendonitis/patella femoral syndrome/runners knee
• Shin splints/stress fracture
• Achilles tendonitis/paratendinitis
• Back pain/Sacroiliac syndrome

We will talk more about each of these in the subsequent months. Should you seeking medical care and when? When pain or dysfunction affects activity, then it is time to determine what the cause of the problem is. I believe after two weeks it is time for a proper evaluation for treatment. Treatment is broken down into three phases of care. Initial intensive care focuses on reducing symptoms. At this point physiotherapy modalities such as electric muscle stimulation, and ultrasound, as well as ice, moist heat, and possibly anti-inflammatories can be used to decrease the inflammatory component of the problem. Phase two focuses on correction of the problem, i.e. balancing out weak muscles, increasing joint mechanics through extremity and spinal adjustments, using soft tissue techniques such as trigger point therapy, active release, and deep tissue massage. While phase three focuses on injury prevention. Functional rehabilitation using weight training, flexibility exercises and equipment such as wobble boards, mini trampolines and surgical tubing are used to stimulate the neuromuscular sports specific motor pattern.

Keys to improvement:
Seek medical advice from a doctor who is an endurance athlete and is Board certified in sports injuries. Try to continue graded activity as this maintains your base, and can be therapeutic. A good example of this is pool running. Good luck.

Dr. Richard A. Izzo
(914) 251-1223
r.izzo@worldnet.att.net