Did you know that about 50% of all figure skating injuries are due to overuse? What is an overuse injury? An overuse injury is generally an injury that develops over time. This is in contrast to an injury that is due to a specific event such as a fall or a twisting injury. Overuse injuries have several causes but boil down to the concept that:
The mechanical stress to a tissue is too strong or too repetitive for that tissue to handle.
This results in inflammation, pain, tissue injury, decrease tissue tolerance to mechanical stress which leads to more inflammation, pain, etc., etc. Overuse injuries can be seen as a process. At first the symptoms are minor and may even be barely perceptible. When the mechanical stress on the specific tissue continues, the symptoms will increase. If the tissue continues to be stressed beyond its ability to handle that stress, significant injuries such as stress fractures or premature growth plate closure can occur.
It is important to be able to identify signs, symptoms and risk factors of overuse injuries. Stay tuned in for future posts!!
Posted by ryndakphysicaltherapy
Posted by ryndakphysicaltherapy