11.8 Common Injuries
It is clear that human movement is dependent upon the complex interaction between many bodily systems that work together to function as a whole. However, the systems that allow this are vulnerable to a variety of injuries and conditions that can impair our movement. Within this section, several acute and chronic injuries will be discussed, as well as conditions that impact our ability to move.
Soft Tissue and Overuse Injuries
Sporting or physical activity-based injuries typically involve muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints and/or bones, and result from overtraining or overuse, poor technique/ improper form, lack of preparation, or direct trauma from an internal or external force. Such injuries can range from mild and not having to take a break from sport or physical activity to severe and impacting long-term function and performance.
Soft tissue injury can include sprains (ligament damage) or strains (tendon and/or muscle damage), which were previously covered in Chapter 11.5, or contusions (or bruising) caused by direct blows to tissues resulting in bleeding beneath the skin. Soft tissue injuries can range from acute and mild to chronic, causing long-term performance and function deficits. For example, athletes will likely return to play after a contusion or even a mild, grade 1 sprain after sitting out a practice or two. However, after a grade 3 sprain of the ankle or a torn meniscus in the knee, an athlete will likely have to sit out for the remaining season and return only after they’ve had extensive rehabilitation and/or surgery to repair the damaged tissue.
Overuse injuries can come in all shapes and sizes, from stress (or hairline) fractures of the tibia to dislocations of fingers. While competitive athletes are most susceptible to overuse injuries because they focus heavily on their sport of choice, everyone engaging in physical activity, athlete or not, is at risk for overuse injuries if activity or training exceeds the body’s limits.
Signs of potential overuse injuries may include the following with regard to a specific area:
- Persistent pain: Dull or aching pain that does not go away with rest
- Swelling or inflammation: Area is warm and/or tender to the touch and/or stiff
- Reduced range of motion: Difficulty or inability to extend, flex or rotate a joint fully
- Weakness or fatigue: Muscles in the area tire faster than usual
- Decreased performance: Reduced speed, strength, or control when performing familiar movements
- Untimely pain or stiffness: Stiff after a period of inactivity or rest, and/or pain early in physical activity
Examples of Overuse Injuries
Click on each of the icons to learn more about the types of overuse injuries.
Text Description
A collage of four athletes representing different sports is used to explore examples of overuse injuries:
- Shin splints (a hurdler mid-jump): Pain along the tibia due to repetitive stress on the lower leg (e.g., running or jumping).
- Plantar fasciitis (a runner on a paved path): Heel pain caused by inflammation and irritation of the plantar fascia beneath the foot (e.g., common in runners).
- Rotator cuff Injuries (a baseball pitcher in mid-throw): Shoulder pain due to frequent overhead activity (e.g., swimming, baseball, or tennis).
- Spinal stress fractures (a gymnast performing a handspring): Pain of the spine/vertebra due to activity that involves repetitive impact or compression of the spinal column (e.g., gymnastics and football).
