Overuse Injuries and Sports Massage
Some injuries happen in a split second, and you can remember exactly what you did that caused the injury. Other injuries happen little by little over time and are typically caused by repeating a particular activity or movement over and over. This repeated stress creates weakness and inflammation for bones, muscle, tendons, and ligaments.
We call this type of injury an overuse injury. They’re often seen in athletes, both professionals and amateurs, though overuse injuries can also occur with certain occupations or hobbies. Overuse injuries can cause pain as well as a decrease in strength or speed. If left untreated, the occasional pain can turn into constant pain.
Common overuse injuries
Overuse injuries account for almost half of all muscle, tendon, ligament, and bone injuries. You’ve likely heard of or even experienced some of the most common overuse injuries, such as runner’s knee and tennis elbow.
Runner’s knee is a common overuse injury that affects the kneecap and thigh muscles. Many things can contribute to runner’s knee, including overtraining, poor gait caused by improper shoes, or even one leg that is slightly shorter than the other. Weak or tight hips can also contribute to poor alignment and cause runner’s knee.
Tennis elbow isn’t limited to just tennis players. While overuse injuries of the elbow are common in racket sports and golf, they can also be caused by heavy activity such as painting or even repetitive activities like typing on a keyboard.
Other areas that tend to have overuse injuries are shoulders and the Achilles tendon.
Treating overuse injuries
The treatment recommendations are similar for most overuse injuries, regardless of what type or where they are located.
• Rest - Sometimes, the best thing to do is take some time off. This might be in the form of complete rest or scaling back intensity or duration of the activity.
• Stretching - Stretching helps prevent and treat overuse injuries by relaxing the muscles and increasing natural range of motion.
• Ice and NSAIDs - Both ice and anti-inflammatory medication can help relieve the inflammation and pain from an overuse injury.
• Physical therapy – Physical therapy can help identify the root cause of an overuse injury and help correct it.
• Sports massage - Sports massage targets the muscles and soft tissues used in a specific sport or activity to help prevent injury and aid recovery. Sports massage also increases blood flow, stretches the muscles at the site of the injury, and helps restore natural body alignment. Combined with medical treatment, massage plays an important role in healing after overuse injuries.
Whether runner’s knee, tennis elbow, or any other overuse injury that may occur, consult with your healthcare practitioner on the best treatment options for you. Include sports massage as a part of both prevention and treatment to speed healing, relieve inflammation, and restore proper alignment to your body.
