Page 54 - SFM NOV 2019 .indd

Repetitive Stress and Strain Injuries

By: Dr Sally Blossom
Repetitive stress and strain injuries are becoming more common in young athletes. In fact, it is estimat-
ed that up to half of all sports related injuries in youth sports are due to overuse. Knowing what an overuse
injury is and how to prevent them can go a long way to staying healthy and in the games.

Many of today’s young athletes don’t play just one sport or play one sport at a time. There are team
sports through the schools with practices and games. Then there are travel clubs with practices and games.
Weight training, special camps, extra training sessions and the list goes on. While the benefits of sport and
being on a team are wonderful, over involvement can lead to overuse in a body that’s still growing. The most
common overuse injuries seen in young athletes are : stress fractures, jumper’s knee, pitcher’s elbow, run-
ner’s knee and various tendonitis (think achilles, elbow, knee areas).

So what exactly happens with these injuries? Most of them occur in the joints and tendons; especially
in the area of growth plates. Growth plates do just what they sound like: they grow. They are areas in your
bones (think leg bones, arm bones, feet and hands) that start out as cartilage and bone as the young person
grows and matures. Repeated stress and strain to these areas can cause injury. Tendons are also affected
as they help move the joints. As the joints are stressed, so are the tendons and they can become inflamed.
All of this leads to great discomfort for the young athlete. Signs of overuse injuries are : pain, swelling,
weakness, stiffness and possibly numbness and/or tingling.There are steps you can take to help heal from
repetitive stress and strain injuries.

First up, if you are diagnosed with an RSI, REST!! It may be very difficult to sit out for a week or so, but
the long term result will be worth it. If an athlete goes back too soon, the injury can be aggravated and an
even longer break may need to be taken.

Secondly, ice/cold therapy can be very helpful to decrease pain and swelling. An RSI is an injury that has
inflammation with it, so you want to cool those flames down.

Gentle adjustments from you chiropractor of the joints can help to heal as well as some physical therapy
with your PT for the muscles in the affected area. The two together can achieve great results in helping to
resolve the injury.

Finally, a few preventative measures that can be taken are to limit the number of teams in one season an
athlete is involved in. Also, play different sports throughout the year and make sure the training for the sport
is safe and that there is plenty of stretching before and after practices/games.

These simple steps can make a big difference in preventing and overcoming repetitive stress injuries.
Dr. Sally Blossom is a 4th generation chiropractor who serves student athletes and their families from all
over the Thumb and Flint areas.

54 a• Sports Finest Magazine NOV 2019 sportsfinestMagzine.com 989 545 0735 kelly@sportsfinestmagazine.com