What Are Repetitive Stress Injuries? Repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) happen when movements are repeated over and over, causing damage to a bone, tendon, or joint. What Causes Repetitive Stress Injuries in Sports? Repeated motions in sports cause many RSIs (or overuse injuries). RSIs are most likely to happen in kids and teens in the area of growth plates. A growth plate is a layer of cartilage near the end of a bone where most of the bone's growth happens. It is weaker and more at risk for injury than the rest of the bone. Who Gets Repetitive Stress Injuries? Anyone can get an RSI from sports. But they're more likely to happen if someone: trains too much or doesn't train properly has weakness from an old injury Common RSIs that happen in young athletes include: stress fractures swimmer's shoulder pitching elbow runner's knee jumper's knee Achilles tendonitis Sever's disease Osgood-Schlatter disease shin splints What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Repetitive Stress Injuries? Signs and symptoms of RSIs include: pain swelling redness stiffness weakness How Are Repetitive Stress Injuries Diagnosed? To diagnose RSIs, health care providers ask about symptoms and physical activities and do an exam. If needed, an imaging study such as an X-ray, MRI, or bone scan may be done. How Are Repetitive Stress Injuries Treated? Slowing down now can help your child get back to sports as soon as possible. Health care providers usually recommend some or all of the following for an RSI: Rest: Your child may need to either cut down or completely stop activities until the RSI heals. Change in training: If allowed to train, your child may need to do less intense training, train for shorter times, or train less often. Cold: To help with swelling and irritation, apply an ice or a cold pack to the sore area every 1–2 hours, for 15 minutes at a time. (Put a thin towel over the skin to protect it from the cold.) Medicine: Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, or store brand) can help with pain and swelling. Follow the directions that come with the medicine for how much to give and how often. Physical therapy: PT helps keep muscles and joints strong and flexible. Elastic bandage or splint: Wearing one of these can support the sore area and help ease swelling. Looking Ahead Sports are a great way for kids to learn new skills, work with peers and coaches, challenge themselves, and stay in shape. Parents play an important role in helping kids avoid injuries. To help your child prevent repetitive stress injuries: Limit the number of teams your child plays on per season. Encourage your child to play different sports throughout the year. Make sure that your child's coaches encourage safe training. Back to Articles Related Articles Achilles Tendonitis If the tendon just above your heel becomes swollen or irritated due to overuse, it can lead to a painful condition called Achilles tendonitis. Find out how to treat it - and prevent it. Read More Dealing With Sports Injuries You practiced hard and made sure you wore protective gear, but you still got hurt. Read this article to find out how to take care of sports injuries - and how to avoid getting them. Read More Jumper's Knee Jumper's knee is an overuse injury that happens when frequent jumping, running, and changing direction damages the patellar tendon. Read More Jumper's Knee Jumper's knee is an overuse injury that happens when frequent jumping, running, and changing direction damages the patellar tendon. Read More Osgood-Schlatter Disease Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is one of the most common causes of knee pain in adolescents. It's really not a disease, but an overuse injury. Read More Osgood-Schlatter Disease Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is an overuse injury that can cause knee pain in teens, especially during growth spurts. Learn more. Read More Panner's Disease Panner's disease is a painful bone condition linked to overuse of the elbow. Kids with Panner's disease need to avoid all activities that cause pain so the bone can heal. Read More Proximal Biceps Tendonitis In teens, biceps tendonitis is usually an overuse injury that causes tendons in the upper arm to be swollen or irritated. Most cases heal on their own if you follow a few guidelines from your doctor. Read More Preventing Children's Sports Injuries Participation in sports can teach kids sportsmanship and discipline. But sports also carry the potential for injury. Here's how to protect your kids. Read More Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Runner's Knee) Patellofemoral pain syndrome (or runner's knee) is the most common overuse injury among runners, but it can also happen to other athletes who do activities that require a lot of knee bending. Read More Sports and Exercise Safety Playing hard doesn't have to mean getting hurt. The best way to ensure a long and injury-free athletic career is to play it safe from the start. Find out how. Read More Bursitis Bursitis, an irritation of the small fluid sacs that provide cushioning in some joints, is often caused by sports-related injuries or repeated use of a particular joint. Read More Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome can make your hands feel numb and tingly. Find out more in this article for kids. Read More 5 Ways to Prepare for Your Sports Season How can you get ready to play your best season ever? Read these tips for teen athletes. Read More Bones, Muscles, and Joints Without bones, muscles, and joints, we couldn't stand, walk, run, or even sit. The musculoskeletal system supports our bodies, protects our organs from injury, and enables movement. Read More Bones, Muscles, and Joints Our bones, muscles, and joints form our musculoskeletal system and enable us to do everyday physical activities. Read More Your Muscles You have more than 600 muscles in your body! They do everything from pumping blood throughout your body to helping you lifting your heavy backpack. Find out more. Read More Safety Tips: Football Football is a lot of fun, but since the name of the game is to hit somebody, injuries are common. To keep things as safe as possible, follow these tips. Read More Repetitive Stress Injuries in Sports Repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) happen when movements are repeated over and over, damaging a bone, tendon, or joint. Read More Shin Splints Shin splints are pain on the inner part of the shinbone, often from running or another high-impact activity. They get better with rest. Read More Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. © 1995-2021 KidsHealth®. All rights reserved. Images provided by The Nemours Foundation, iStock, Getty Images, Veer, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com.