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How to Properly Handle Muscle Overuse Injuries

 

The musculoskeletal system is responsible for allowing us to move freely as we please, and carry out all of the physical activities that we love. Without the muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, connective tissues, and everything else that comprises our musculoskeletal system, we would be hard pressed to find any other way to go for a run, garden, play tennis, or anything else that we love to do that is also based in physicality.

We need to be physical and exercise adequately in order to stay healthy, so many of us try our best to be as active as possible. However, physical activity can sometimes be a double-edged sword, as there is the potential for injury within the musculoskeletal system to arise. One of the more commonly occurring category of injuries that we see affect individuals young and old, large and small, are overuse injuries.

This type of injury is characterized by any sort of injury that results from excessive use of a certain body part, along with the repetition of certain movements within the body. These injuries span anywhere from stress fractures, to tendinitis, to shin splints, to so many other conditions that we see occurring on a somewhat regular basis.

Overuse injuries frequently occur in the lower extremities, namely the feet, the ankle and the lower legs. Our entire body weight is placed on our feet so in some cases, the tendency for tissues to become pressured and physiological stress to take advantage of our bodies weakness form a deadly combination. With repetitive use of certain muscles, the tissues can break down to the point where they are unable to support the bones. The joints are extremely vulnerable to overuse injuries as they are essentially choke points within the musculoskeletal system, and are places where most of the force incurred by external pressures is absorbed. This shock can be quite detrimental to joint health overall.

So how do we avoid overuse injuries? It is important to make sure that we are in optimal condition before we undergo any sort of exercise or training program. Additionally, warming up the body before any sort of activity improves the body’s ability to handle the stress that it is about to be put through. If we do end up with an injury, chiropractic care is a good way to restore the body to proper alignment so that physical activity does not lead to injury at a faster rate.

Overuse injuries are common, but they are by no means unavoidable. With consideration of multiple different factors that lead to overuse injuries, we can all prevent them and maintain our normal patterns of activity.

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