Within the adolescent population of athletes, the apophysis of bone is the most common area to be effect from overuse, and this justifies Sever's Disease as the most prevalent cause of heel pain in younger athletes. Overuse problems can also be related to other injuries within the rearfoot as repetitive stress leads to inflammation and local tissue damage. This damage and accumulation of extracellular debris can lead to tendinitis, stress fracture, synovitis, entrapment neuropathies, ligament strains and myosotis. It must be understood that simple overuse is not sufficient to cause injury as the human body is very resilient. Under perfect, normal circumstances the human body will repair and adapt to the stresses placed upon it during sporting activities.
Overuse injuries are primarily due to much more than just overuse.
Many intrinsic and extrinsic factors must be considered while participating in sporting activities to ensure that injuries do not appear. These factors can place abnormal stresses on the body and when these stresses are subjected repetitively over a period of time, the body may not be able to repair or adapt. As a result, an injury occurs that is not related to a single incident, but related to activity undertaken many times. Back to index. These factors have a profound effect on overuse injuries as natural inefficiencies can lead to injury by undertaking sporting activities, even when normal levels and actions are used.