5 Muscle Overuse Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore

You’ve committed to your health. You’re working out, becoming more active, hitting that step goal. You’re feeling stronger and moving better. But even though you’re sleeping better, and your mood has definitely improved (not to mention your pants are a little looser) there’s one area of your body that doesn’t seem to be responding as well to all this activity.

The rest of your body feels great but suddenly a joint hurts. What gives?

Overuse injuries often take us by surprise. They tend to happen when we’ve either just begun improving our health and increasing our activity – a time when we’re feeling better all around – or when we’re not so active (i.e. when we aren’t protecting our joints as well, or our poor posture or repetitive habits start to add up.)

If you’re experiencing joint pain – especially soreness, aching, or stiffness – that isn’t the result of an acute injury, it could be an overuse injury.

Learn what they are, why they happen, what symptoms you may experience, and how to find relief.

What is an overuse injury?

Overuse injuries are microtraumas – small injuries – to a bone, muscle, tendon, or ligament. Overuse injuries can be:

• Tiny tears in your muscle fibers
• Stress on a tendon
• Bruising of a bone
• Stress fractures (tiny cracks in the surface of the bone)  
• Avulsion fractures (when a ligament or tendon pulls a small piece of bone away from the main part of the bone)

Unlike an acute injury like a dislocation or fracture, overuse injuries happen gradually through repetitive use of the same parts of the body.

Common causes of overuse injuries include:

• Performing repetitive movements with improper posture or ergonomics (this can even include texting or scrolling on your phone, driving, writing, or using your computer mouse)
• Training too hard, too fast (jumping into an intense workout program rather than easing in gradually)
• Not properly resting the body between workouts or training, or not getting adequate nutrition 
• Not using the right sports gear or equipment
• Not properly healing from a prior injury

Here’s how to tell if your joint pain may be an overuse injury.

5 Symptoms of Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries differ from simple muscle fatigue or soreness – the kind you feel after a day of yard work or starting a new sport or activity. Here is how they differ, and how to know whether you may be dealing with an overuse injury”.

Pain that doesn’t go away after rest  

As with nearly all injuries, the first symptom most people notice is pain. Pain that persists despite adequate rest is an indication that you’re dealing with an overuse injury.  

Inflammation and swelling

Repetitive stress on the muscles, joints, and tissues can trigger your body’s inflammatory response, causing swelling, redness, or tenderness.

Restricted mobility or range of motion

Overuse strains the muscles, tendons, and joints, which not only causes pain, but can reduce your flexibility and prevent your joints from moving through their full range of motion.

Stiffness or feeling “tight”  

Tears to the muscle or irritation of the joints and tendons can make them stiff – we’re all familiar with that sensation of “tight” muscles or joints; for people with overuse injuries it may be common to experience stiff joints or muscles upon waking in the morning.

Weakness, feeling tired

Excessive muscle or tissue strain can lead to a condition called overuse exhaustion where the muscles become weak and worn, often leading to decreased performance.

What is the difference between overuse injuries and acute injuries?

An acute injury happens suddenly – it leaves no doubt that a trauma has occurred. Maybe you twisted your ankle on a run or took a spill during a pickleball game. Slips, falls, contact injuries and car accidents are common examples of acute injuries. Here’s how acute injury symptoms differ from overuse injuries:

• The pain is sharp and sudden
• The pain is often severe
• Swelling happens immediately, and may be accompanied by numbness or tingling if circulation is affected
• You may be unable to place weight on the joint or move it through its range of motion – or move it at all without intense pain

Overuse injuries are sometimes referred to as chronic injuries, as they can recur time and again if the injury is not fully healed or the repetitive activity is repeated without strengthening the joint or the muscles around it or improving your posture and ergonomics when performing the activity.

What are the most common overuse injuries?

• Avulsion fractures. This injury can be especially common in children and adolescents who are prone to overuse injuries as their bones and muscles are growing. With extreme or repeated impact – like playing through the pain – the tendon that connects the bone to muscle can pull a piece of the growth plate away from the bone
• Jumper’s knee (patellar tendonitis): Common in basketball or other activities where jumping recurs, this injury occurs when the patellar tendon in the knee joint is repeatedly pulled on, causing pain or tenderness below the knee or in the upper shin area
• Little League elbow/shoulder: Repetitive overhead throwing maneuvers can cause damage and inflammation in the growth plates of the bones in the arm in children and adolescents
• Osgood-Schlatter disease: Painful irritation and swelling caused by the constant pulling of the patellar tendon on the area below the knee where the tendon attaches to the shinbone
• Osteochondritis dissecans: A joint disorder in which a segment of bone or cartilage starts to separate from the rest of the bone after repeated stress or trauma. Most often occurs in the knee and sometimes the elbow
• Sever’s disease (calcaneal apophysitis): Heel pain with limping, especially after running. Sever’s disease results from repetitive running or jumping activities that cause the Achilles tendon to pull on the heel bone
• Bursitis: Inflammation of a bursa, the fluid-filled sac that cushions your joints. Bursitis is very common in the shoulders
• Carpal tunnel syndrome: Swelling inside a narrow tunnel formed by bone and ligament in the wrist 
• Epicondylitis: Also known as Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow, this disorder causes pain and swelling at the point where the bones join at the elbow and can also be common in desk workers or people who drive as part of their jobs, due to the constant flexion of the elbow
• Stress fractures: These are tiny cracks in the bone’s surface caused by repeated force without proper recovery
• Shin splints: Ever started running or a walking program without warming up or gradually increasing intensity? You may have had shin splints, an overuse injury caused by repetitive micro-trauma to the tendons, bones, and joints causing the shin muscle to pull away from the bone
• Tendinopathy: As the name implies, this is an overuse injury to a tendon, commonly the Achilles (back of your ankle) and patellar (kneecap) tendons

How to Prevent Overuse Injuries

Given their slow progression, it’s easier to prevent overuse injuries than the unexpected and sudden events of an acute injury. These simple steps can help keep your joints healthy and prevent chronic injuries. Each one is important, but they come to the same conclusion: be gentle with your body and prioritize rest and recovery.  

To help you prevent overuse injuries:

Take time to warm up  

Yes – every time. Start slowly with a warmup, then gradually increase your intensity. That tip is for both every individual workout and starting a new activity.  Gradual progression is a sound strategy for preventing overuse injuries. Build your intensity, duration, or load progressively to allow your body to adapt. 

And Cool Down 

Cooling down after an activity (versus stopping suddenly) will gradually decrease heart rate and prevent muscle tightness, which supports muscle recovery and flexibility. 

Use the right gear 

That includes being fitted for the proper athletic or running shoe or the right shoe for your activity. Braces and other durable medical equipment, like orthotics, can also help you prevent – or recover from – overuse injuries. They can also help you practice good ergonomics if, for example, your job requires you to perform repetitive motions as part of your daily routine  

Shake things up  

If your overuse injury is a result of a hobby or pastime, you may be able to take break intermittently to allow for optimum recovery. Try a low impact activity like swimming to help you build muscle while minimizing wear and tear on the joints. Building muscle and practicing mobility and flexibility training can also help support joint health, even if your job is physically demanding.  

Listen to your body  

Taking time off from something we love can be hard; it can be even harder to take time to rest when we rely on our bodies to do our jobs. But noticing when you’re feeling fatigued or when pain, stiffness or tightness are setting in, is key to preventing overuse injuries. Take time to use ice or heat, to rest, and to support proper joint health and muscle recovery.  

Take time to recover – and don’t play through the pain

Rest is just as important as any other part of your workout. Give your body time to heal and adapt after activity so you can do more of what you love, longer, and with less pain.

Chiropractic care can support joint health and help you recover from injury – including chronic overuse injuries. Learn more about how Chiro One treats joint pain, find a clinic, or schedule an appointment.