Rehabbing Overuse Injuries Without Creating More Overuse

By Dr. Andrew Kakishita

Why Overuse Injuries Are So Common

Overuse injuries rarely come from one specific movement or workout. They develop when the total amount of stress placed on the body exceeds its ability to recover.

This is why pain often builds gradually and why simply resting or pushing through does not always lead to lasting improvement.

The Two-Bucket Way to Think About Rehab

A helpful way to understand recovery is to think in terms of two buckets.

The first bucket is everything you already do each day. This includes work demands, walking, standing, workouts, chores, and life stress. The second bucket is rehab and corrective exercise.

Your body can only tolerate so much total load. If the first bucket is already full, adding more to the rehab bucket can push things past the limit.

Why Rehab Sometimes Makes Things Worse

Many people assume rehab should feel hard to be effective. In reality, adding exercises on top of an already overloaded system often increases irritation instead of helping.

This is why some people feel worse after starting rehab. Nothing is wrong with the exercises themselves. The issue is that the overall load has not been adjusted.

Progress often requires temporarily dialing back certain activities so rehab can actually do its job.

What Effective Rehab Actually Looks Like

Good rehab focuses on restoring movement quality, coordination, and tolerance before chasing intensity.

Exercises may feel easy at first because the goal is control, not fatigue. As the body adapts, load can be increased safely without overwhelming the system.

This approach applies to foot pain, shoulder pain, back pain, and many other overuse conditions.

Why Less Can Lead to More Progress

Reducing load in one area often allows progress in another.

When daily stress is managed appropriately, rehab becomes more effective and flare ups become less frequent. Recovery becomes more predictable instead of frustrating.

Rehab Should Fit Your Life

The most effective rehab plans are realistic and sustainable.

Healing does not come from doing more. It comes from doing what your body can recover from consistently. Balancing daily demands with rehab is often the key to long term success.