Ignore it or fix it

Editor's note: Cody Scharf is the owner of Thrive Spine and Sport, a chiropractic and soft tissue clinic focusing on sport and overuse injuries in Cedar Rapids. Scharf is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and certified through Integrative Diagnosis for the diagnosis and treatment of soft tissue injuries.

This is the first of a two-part series on overuse injuries. Next week: Prevention

By Cody Scharf, community contributor

While it is unknown just what percentage of the people suffer from an overuse injury, we do know overuse injuries account for around two-thirds of all work related injuries and half of all sports injuries.

Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, runner's/jumper's knee, IT band syndrome, tennis elbow, golfers elbow, bicep tendinitis, carpal tunnel. These all are overuse injuries - and the list goes on.

While overuse is the cause of the injury through either repetitive movements or prolonged positions, the effect on the body depends on the structure. Overuse leads to stress fractures in bones, tears in cartilage, tendinosis in tendons, and adhesions in muscles and along nerves. Adhesion is the most common result and may be the most common pathology in the human body.

When adhesion is present it prevents proper joint motion and function and can reduce flexibility. Since adhesion does not allow the muscles to properly contract and relax, it may cause weakness. When adhesion is present along a nerve it can cause tingling, numbness and burning type pains.

So how do you know if you have adhesion? Typically, when adhesion is present you may notice feeling 'tight” or more stiff than usual. Certain movements or positions (like sitting for example) may be uncomfortable. In the beginning stages, swelling, redness or impaired function may occur. Pain into the arms, hands, legs or feet also may be the result from adhesion along a nerve.

As time goes on, pain or stiffness that goes away with activity, progressively moves to pain that is aggravated with activity and finally to constant pain. Adhesions do get worse and build up over time.

Although adhesion is one of the most common problems in the human body, fortunately it is one of the most easily treatable and reversible. Once adhesion is present it will require treatment from a practitioner certified in manual therapy techniques. Sometimes stretching, yoga, foam rolling or using a lacrosse ball on painful areas may be beneficial in the short term or allow your activities to continue. For most, however, this is not the case. Eventually, foam rolling and mobility work lose their benefit.

If you notice your pain and range of motion are getting worse, you have two options - ignore the pain or fix it.

l For more information, email Scharf at cody.scharf@gmail.com or visit www.thrivespineandsport.com