Recognizing signs of overuse injury.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Tina Juan

SPORTS and exercise injuries generally fall under two categories.

Acute injury happens suddenly and dramatically, and chronic injury is the type that quietly sneaks up on you. An ankle sprain or an ACL tear (a tear in an important knee ligament) is an acute injury. Tendonitis or inflammation of a tendon is a chronic problem.

Most exercise injuries are chronic, many of them caused by overuse of the muscle or joint.

You can have perfect form and technique when performing your sport or exercise but if you do too much without enough time to recover or if you suddenly increase your time or intensity, you can develop an overuse injury.

Repetitive microtrauma

Dr. Frank Jobe, author of "Athletic Forever" and head of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Center, compares an overuse injury to cutting down a …