As physiotherapists who work closely with sports teams and the Australian Defence Force, a fair proportion of our work consists of loading issues.
“The Envelope of Function” is a great analogy, when discussing injuries related to loading. If the load fits within your “Envelope of Function”, you will have a normal loading and tissue response, which adapts quickly without injury. However, occasionally the load can go outside your level of function resulting in injury. This typically occurs in two ways.
NORMAL CAPACITY = NO INJURY
The first way involves increasing your load quickly. There is no change to your functional capacity (or Envelope of Function), however you may have increased your load beyond this capacity. An example of this is doubling gym or running sessions to make up for missed sessions.
EXCESSIVE LOAD = INJURY
The second way is maintaining the same load, however your “Envelope of Function” has decreased. Factors that contribute to this decrease include; pain, stress, poor nutrition, fatigue, insufficient recovery or poor sleep. These factors can often explain why an overuse of loading injury has occurred when you have not altered your load.
INFLUENCING FACTORS
If you have any loading injuries, please contact Enhance Physiotherapy Albury-Wodonga. We will fully assess your injuries and get you training back at your peak.
