Sports Medicine for muscle strains from overuse in Michigan
Doing too many repetitions of an exercise or practicing a movement over and over may be putting you at risk for an overuse injury. Sports medicine fellowship-trained doctors and orthopedic surgeons in Michigan treat competitive athletes and active youth and adults of all ages who enjoy exercise and recreational activities. Our sports medicine care teams provide primary care for many conditions, including overuse injuries.
Ascension Michigan Sports Medicine is a network of primary care doctors, specialists, orthopedic surgeons, athletic trainers, physical therapists, nutritionists, psychologists, and exercise physiologists. Your sports medicine doctor starts by listening to understand you and your health concerns. We study your functional movements, which may include looking at how you walk and run, throw a ball, swing a bat or club, or do an exercise. Functional fitness tests are used to identify weak muscle groups and imbalance problems. Then, we work with you to treat your injury and give you a plan for how to prevent reinjury.
Focusing on youth in year-round sports
If your child is playing sports year-round, especially just one sport, their risk increases for having an overuse injury. We also monitor your children’s growth plates (when the bones are growing faster than their muscles and can cause an uneven growth pattern). Our care team works with you, your child and their coach to help prevent overuse injuries from all causes while still improving performance.
Helping adults prevent injuries from sports and activities
As we age, our flexibility decreases. Poor body mechanics may also increase your risk for an overuse injury. We work with you to adjust your exercise and training routine to help prevent further damage. And, we use education to help you prevent future overuse injuries.
Common overuse injuries
An overuse injury is caused by repeating the same motion or overdoing an activity that puts too much stress on your muscles, ligaments, joints and bones. Overuse injuries often include a muscle strain and may impact a bone or joint. Conditions may include:
- Achilles tendinitis, pain in the back of the heel
- IT band syndrome, common in cyclists and weightlifters
- Little leaguer's elbow, a growth plate inflammation
- Patella tendonitis, like jumper’s knee and runner’s knee
- Plantar fasciitis, pain on the bottom of the foot
- Shin splints, tress syndrome of the tibia
- Stress fracture, common in runners
- Swimmer’s shoulder
- Tennis elbow
Preventing muscle strains, a common overuse injury
Muscle strains can happen in seasoned athletes and active youth and adults. Whether you are doing an intense workout or enjoying your favorite recreation activity, your muscles work efficiently when you stretch before and after. At Ascension Michigan Sports Medicine, we show you how to make adjustments to your exercise routine to fit your activity level, meet your performance goals and help prevent an overuse injury.