What is an overuse injury?

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To put it plainly, overuse injuries are often caused by repetitive athletic motions, like pitching in baseball, running on hard surfaces, or competitive swimming. 

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For young athletes, the repetitive stress that overtraining puts on muscles and tendons can disrupt bone growth and cause pain, inflammation, and a critical need to rest the affected area. 

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What causes overuse injuries in kids and teens?

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When putting physical effort into training, practicing, and games, players tend to use the same muscle groups over and over. Without periods of adequate rest and recovery, overtraining can lead to musculoskeletal injuries and pain. If these conditions continue to be left untreated, they can become more serious over time. Pain endured by active youths can also have a detrimental psychological impact, if kids can no longer play at the level they’d worked so hard to reach.

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Some children will play a sport on multiple teams during a season, which is a great way to explore interests and learn teamwork—but it can also lead to excessive training. 

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However, it’s not just a busy schedule that can lead to overuse injuries: Lack of conditioning (training the body for physical activity), a prior injury left untreated, and natural growth spurts can all impact how a child’s body reacts to athletics. 

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Common overuse injuries in children

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Some overuse injuries have common nicknames, like Little League Shoulder, a condition typically caused by overhead throwing that can lead to inflammation of growth plates—areas of cartilage that allows bones to grow.

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Here are some additional examples of pediatric overuse injuries:

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Sever’s Disease

Sever’s Disease is an inflammatory condition of the heel’s growth plate, and a common source of heel pain, especially after running or jumping. It occurs when the Achilles tendon pulls on the heel, leading to swelling in the growth plate.

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Shin Splints

Running on hard surfaces or the use of improper footwear are common causes of this condition, which is marked by shin pain and tenderness. Shin splints occur when repetitive stress is put on the shinbone and its attached connective tissues.

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Tennis Elbow 

Also known as Golfer’s Elbow, this condition—true to its name—is caused by overusing elbow muscles, leading to a partial tear in the tendon that connects the forearm muscle to the bone. This can bring on swelling, soreness, and pain in the elbow, forearm, and wrist.

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Swimmer's Shoulder 

This is an umbrella diagnosis for a series of shoulder overuse injuries, including impingement syndrome, rotator cuff tendinitis, inflammation, and weaknesses of the shoulder from repeated stress on tendons.

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Osgood-Schlatter Disease

This painful condition of the knee occurs when thigh muscles pull on the patellar tendon located just below the kneecap, which then pulls on the growth plate of the shinbone, leading to swelling and irritation. This is sometimes caused by growth spurts and made worse by running and jumping. 

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Jumper's Knee 

Another overuse injury that causes tenderness below the knee and upper shin area, Jumper’s Knee is typically caused by repetitive motions that pull on the patellar tendon, causing swelling and tissue damage. 

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Stress Fractures

This type of fracture occurs when too much stress is being placed on the bones, due to excessive activity after muscle fatigue. Without protection from muscles, a small fracture can occur in the bone.

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Learn more about specific pediatric overuse injuries at our Health Information Library.

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What are the symptoms of overuse injuries?

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Pain is an obvious indication of injury, however, there are other specific signs and symptoms to note: 

• Pain that increases with activity
• Pain that  increases over time
• Pain that decreases with rest
• Swelling in the affected area
• Overcompensation of other limbs due to pain
• Mental fatigue and frustration

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To diagnose an overuse injury, your sports medicine specialist will need to know the intensity and frequency of the repeated activity, then provide a physical exam to pinpoint the pain. Imaging may also need to be done. 

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If you’re in the Los Angeles area, we recommend an appointment with our Sports Medicine team. 

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We specialize in helping young athletes get back in the game, whether that’s team sports like soccer or football, individual sports like skateboarding or gymnastics, or PE class in school. Our team of experts tailor treatments to each child’s unique needs, addressing all aspects of our patients’ journey to recovery

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Take a virtual tour of our Center for Sports Medicine.

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What’s the best way to treat an overuse injury?

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Rest is typically the first step toward recovery. That includes restricting or stopping athletic activities, depending on the severity of pain or fracture, for weeks or months according to a doctor’s treatment plan. For some overuse injuries, the doctor may recommend the use of a splint, cast, boot, or crutches. 

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After a period of rest, physical therapy can assist in providing more flexibility and strength to the injured area. 

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Have you heard about LuskinOIC’s Return to Sports program?

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Our Sports Medicine team has revolutionized athletic recovery by using cutting-edge research to assess the physical and mental/emotional readiness for young athletes to return to their favorite activities post-injury. 

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From evaluating limb symmetry to analyzing neuromotor control, our expert physicians guide athletes and families toward a safe return to the sports and activities they love. 

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At LuskinOIC, it’s not just about having the most innovative technology—it’s also about accessible expertise, often provided free of charge, making us the top choice for an athlete to get back in the game.

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Meet our sports medicine team! 

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Can overuse injuries be prevented?

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The answer is yes! With proper attention to adequate rest, the right footwear and gear, and conditioning, you decrease the risk of an overuse injury.

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While it might be fun to sign a child up for a town sport, school sport, and travel league all at once, keep in mind that this does increase their risk for overuse injuries. 

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Want to learn more about your child’s limits and abilities? LuskinOIC works directly with coaches, athletic trainers, and medical teams to create partnerships between schools and our Center for Sports Medicine. 

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These partnerships lead to fewer injuries and faster recoveries for student athletes in our communities. They also help ensure that when injuries occur, kids have access to the care they need, often from the start with orthopedic urgent care. Learn more here.