- Activities which require repetitive motion.
- Increasing intensity or duration of training too quickly.
- Lack of fitness, especially core strength.
- Failure to fully rehab after an injury, come back too soon, not allow enough rest for recovery.
- Poorly functioning equipment. Shoes are generally poorly cushioned. Insoles are a great idea.
- Dehydration. (Recommendations: 16oz pre-event, 8 oz 10-15 min pre-event, 6-12 oz each 10 min of play.)
- Training and competing in multiple sports in the same season or same sport all year without a break.
- Waiting too long to evaluate a “minor but nagging” injury.
If you suspect overtraining ask “Have you recently:
*been training harder, longer or on a different surface or terrain?”
*tried new techniques or changed equipment?
*participated in other activities (i.e. P.E., another team) that could be aggravating?
*been injured in the same way?
*had an injury that went un-treated?
What Can I do to Prevent Overtraining Injuries?
- Tune into your body. Don’t ignore pain –especially sharp or join pain.
- Start training at least 6-8 weeks before your season starts. Be sure and allow 10-14 days for heat acclimatization.
- Do not increase training more than 10%/week.
- Get 8 hours of sleep.
- Don’t skip meals. Include 1500 mg/day of Calcium. Drink recommended volume of fluids.
- Include regular stretching before and after training.
- Take an “off-season.” (maybe just making your primary sport secondary for a season)
- Have injuries evaluated and treated. Have a sports medicine professional identify strength and/or flexibility imbalances and weaknesses. These are “your weakest links.” Focus your pre-season training here.