It is scientifically proven that a healthy level of physical activity and moderate stress improve the strength of the musculoskeletal system’s tissues. However, during athletic activity, especially at the elite level, the body can be subjected to more or less extreme stress. In sports involving explosive movements—such as sprinting and throwing events in track and field, volleyball and handball in team sports, and badminton and squash in racquet sports—enormous forces can sometimes be generated, leading to immense stress on the body.
Various injuries can easily occur in such situations, especially if the body is repeatedly exposed to these stresses. These injuries can be divided into two categories: traumatic/acute injuries and overuse injuries. Traumatic injuries can almost always be linked to a specific incident, such as a broken bone or a sprained foot.
Stress injuries, on the other hand, which are also very common in the workplace, are usually caused by repetitive, one-sided strain over a relatively long period of time. When the strain on a tissue becomes too great, an injury occurs. This means that the cause of these injuries is difficult to identify, which often makes them difficult to treat.