This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Overuse injury (joint)

Authoring team

Overuse of joints may lead to pain and effusion which are surprisingly slow to settle. For example, unaccustomed long periods of walking or even standing, particularly on hard or uneven ground, can sometimes cause bruising of the cartilage within the knee. A clue as to cause is what activities or movements exacerbate the pain.

The main treatment for overuse is rest and ice packs, using the duration of discomfort as a guide. Analgesics can be used for symptomatic relief but it is unwise to use these, including NSAIDs, to disguise pain as oedematous cartilage is softer than normal and may therefore wear more readily. Sometimes splinting of the joint eg the wrist can help.

The possible long time scale - often months - should be explained if the patient returns with persistent symptoms of an injury which is not due to other causes.


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.