Proper injury management, therefore, is imperative. Overuse injuries tend to be more subtle, developing over time, even weeks to months. By the time one develops symptoms related to an overuse injury, a significant amount of tissue damage or weakness may have already developed. An understanding of the causes of overuse injuries, prevention, and initial management strategies will help minimize the effects such injuries have on training and competition. Overuse injuries result from repetitive microtrauma that leads to inflammation or tissue damage resulting in such injuries as tendonitis, ligament sprains, joint swelling, and stress fractures.
Overuse injuries are usually multifactorial, with many contributing risk factors.
Predisposing risk factors are conveniently divided into intrinsic and extrinsic causes. Intrinsic risk factors are physical abnormalities unique to an individual athlete. These include muscle weakness, inflexibility, and poor foot mechanics. Subtle abnormalities that have no significance while walking may lead to abnormal stress during the more challenging activities of sport and training. Extrinsic risk factors are related to one's training.