injuries and poisoning
Overview of Sports Injuries
Overuse
One of the most common causes of sports injuries is overuse (excessive wear and tear). Overuse injuries are often due to faulty technique, but people with overweight or obesity may be at increased risk for overuse injuries caused by the increased load on the bones and joints. An example of an improper technique is running along the same side of a banked road. Repeatedly hitting the slightly higher surface with the same foot results in different forces being applied to the right and left hips and knees. This difference in forces increases the risk of injury on the side striking the higher surface and changes the forces acting on the other leg, risking injury to it as well. Some athletes increase the speed or intensity of their workouts too quickly, putting stress on the muscles. For example, some runners who increase speed or distance too quickly during training stress the legs, hips, or feet. This extra stress often leads to muscle sprains and stress fractures of the bones. Some athletes overly train one set of muscles without equally strengthening the opposite group of muscles, resulting in imbalances that can contribute to injury. Another factor contributing to overuse injuries is inadequate recovery after a workout. Also, some people do not stop exercising when pain develops (working through the pain). Continuing to exercise when pain is present injures more muscle or connective tissue, extending the damage and delaying recovery, whereas rest allows recovery. Not resting an injured body part (working through the pain) prolongs the time until recovery. 