Want to start a new physical activity program or improve your current exercise routine? In this case, there may be a risk of overuse, which could ultimately prevent you from becoming active. Find out what can lead to overuse and how to increase your level of activity safely.
Common causes of overuse
Overuse is any type of muscle or joint injury, such as muscle injury. Tendinitis or a stress fracture caused by repeated trauma. Overload injury is usually due to:
- Training error. Training errors can occur if you take in too much physical activity too fast. Too fast, too long or too frequent training can overstrain your muscles and lead to overuse.
- technique errors. An improper technique can also harm your body. For example, exercising in bad shape, swinging a golf club, or baseballing strength training can overload certain muscles and cause overuse.
Risk factors for overuse injuries
Although overuse can occur with anyone. If you have certain conditions, you may be more susceptible to these types of injuries. Overuse injuries also become more common with age – especially if you are not aware of the effects that aging can have on your body and change your routine accordingly.
For these reasons, it's a good idea to talk with your doctor before you start a new activity or expand your current routine. Your doctor can give you tips to make your physical activity safer for you. For example, if you have muscle weakness in your hip, your doctor may show you exercises to address the problem and prevent knee pain.
Prevention of overuse injuries
Most overuse injuries are preventable. To prevent overuse injuries:
Use the correct shape and equipment. When you start a new activity or have been doing sports for a long time, consider lessons. Using the right technique is crucial to avoid overuse injuries. Also make sure you wear the right shoes for the activity. Replace your shoes for every 250 to 500 miles you walk or run – or at least twice a year, if you play sports regularly.
Tempo itself. When you start a new fitness program, avoid becoming a weekend warrior. If you reduce your physical activity to two days for the week, this can cause overuse.
Instead, try to achieve at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day. If you do not have time for a full 30 minutes, you can divide it into three 10-minute blocks. It is also a good idea to take your time to warm up from physical activity and then cool off.
Gradually increase your activity level. If you change the intensity or duration of a physical activity, do so gradually. For example, if you want to increase the weight you use during strength training, increase it by a maximum of 10 percent per week until you reach your new goal.
Combine your routine with cross-training.  Add variety to your fitness program rather than focusing on one type of workout. Through a variety of low impact activities such as running, cycling, swimming, and water jogging, you can prevent overuse injuries by allowing your body to use different muscle groups and not overload a particular group. And make sure you do strength training at least twice a week for the main muscle groups in the arms, legs and core.
Recovery from Overload
If you suspect you have a congestion injury, contact your doctor. He or she will probably ask you to take a break from the activity that caused the injury. However, you may be able to do alternative training unless it is stressing the affected body parts.
It is important to tell your doctor if you have recently made changes to your technique, intensity, duration, frequency, or type of exercise. Identifying the cause of your congestion violation will help you resolve the issue and prevent recurrence.
If you believe that the congestion injury has resolved, ask your doctor to verify that you have regained strength, movement, flexibility, and balance in the first place. Start the activity again. When returning to your job, pay particular attention to the correct technique to avoid future injury.
Play it safe.
Avoid overuse injuries to prevent physical activity. By working with your doctor, listening to your body and taking care of yourself, you can avoid this frequent setback and safely increase your activity.
Release date: 2010-03-05