The Difference Between Acute, Overuse, and Chronic Sports Injuries
on Thursday, September 6, 2018
Even seasoned athletes get sport injuries. When you are active it comes with the territory. Most sports injuries can be prevented with proper strength training, increased flexibility, and a good warm-up routine. Even if you can only find time to be active on the weekends, a little exercise, strength training, and stretching can go a long way to keeping your body physically fit. Staying active also facilitates shorter healing time and a faster recovery process from a major injury.
NOT ALL SPORTS INJURIES ARE THE SAME
Despite everything you do to stay strong and limber, a sports injury can strike at any time. To treat sports injuries, it is helpful to know how they are classified. As always, it is best to get a proper diagnosis from your physician. Sports injuries usually fall into three categories; acute, overuse, or chronic.
WHAT IS AN ACUTE SPORTS INJURY?
An acute injury happens less often than overuse and chronic injuries. An acute injury is one that occurs suddenly and is usually associated with trauma such as fractures, sprains, dislocations, or muscle strains. It can result from a fall or by crashing into another player during sports.
WHAT IS AN OVERUSE SPORTS INJURY?
Overuse or repetitive injuries are caused by repeated actions which apply physical stress to a certain group of muscles, joints, or areas of soft tissue. They usually worsen over time and include injuries such as tennis elbow, thrower’s shoulder (impingement syndrome), plantar fasciitis, and jumper’s knee (patellar tendonitis). One of the key symptoms is increased pain over time.
WHAT IS A CHRONIC SPORTS INJURY?
This type of injury is defined by how long the pain can last. If you are in constant pain for over three months (6 months by some definitions), you are suffering from a chronic injury. Both acute and overuse injuries can convert to chronic pain.
HOW RENEW PHYSICAL THERAPY CAN HELP
Renew Physical Therapy helps athletes experiencing pain get back to their sport. Our job is to detect any biomechanical and lifestyle contributing factors to persistent pain conditions. This includes any sports activity you are involved in. We continually re-assess each patient during his/her episode of care to ensure that the individualized treatment program is appropriately progressing toward a less painful and better quality of life.
Visit our About Us page to learn more about our practice, clinic, and staff. You can also read more about our Chronic Pain Treatment.
