Unusual, Stress-Related Sports Injuries?

Would anyone like to chime in on a list of more unusual injuries that occur in athletes over time? I'm not talking about random tears and breaks, but more stress-over-time related issues that happen with the degradation of a certain body part or muscle.

So I'm writing an article on unusual sports injuries caused by years of unique, repetitive movements. Throwers elbow in baseball players and hammer toe in basketball players are good examples (Wow Lebron's feet, via Courtside Scribbles). Golfers I believe develop very similar issues to baseball players.

Any really unusual ones that come to mind?

a reply to: DelmarRozan

I’m a golfer, wrist injuries are common
Check this link to some injuries golfers get in the wrist.
Wrist Pain In Golfers – Symptoms, Treatment, And Prevention

One common example of extensor tendonitis is thumb tendonitis, or DeQuervain’s tenosynovitis. It’s sometimes called Mommy’s Thumb, but it causes plenty of misery for men, too. Here’s my article on mommy thumb with a video showing you where it is on the thumb and wrist.

Other less common wrist injuries include fractures of the small carpal bones and ligament tears. Fracture (or break – same thing) of the hamate is a very classic golf wrist fracture, but it’s pretty rare. Ligaments on the pinky side of the wrist can be torn or sprained while playing golf. This set of ligaments is called the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC); a long technical term for the strong ligaments that link your radius bone to your ulna bone down by your wrist. Pain from a TFCC tear or sprain is only on the pinky side of the wrist and forearm and can shoot into the pinky side of the hand or up along the forearm towards the elbow.

I have not had any issues with my wrist fortunately. However I know many who have and It changes everything. I have seen wrist injuries happen to really good players who practice too much on artificial grass mats. Even just subtle adjustments in technique can cause unnatural stress on the hand and wrists. It can go unnoticed by the player because the whole swing is somewhat unnatural or it gets the results they want so they keep practicing that way.

I’m a tall golfer so I worry more about my knees. So far so good.

One injurie i have developed is arthritis near my right shoulder blade. Chiropractor could not get it to make the noise. (Crack)

In addition to tennis elbow, many tennis players suffer foot/toe problems due to the slides and stops when chasing the ball. It mashes the toes into the front of the shoe. Many tennis players lose the toenail on the big toe because of this and cannot play due to the pain.

a reply to: DelmarRozan

'Turf-toe' from football, and sometimes other sports. (Probably doesn't fit your search.)

Playing on AstroTurf cut-short the careers of many football players, as it notoriously was rough on the knees.

Ever see the knuckles of a Kung-Fu student, after a few years? (From doing knuckle push-ups.)

Have heard talk that the daily sessions of massive cardio-workouts, somehow cause players to age prematurely, through excessive oxygenation.
Some 35 year-old pro hockey players look like they're pushing 50.

14 years in the military destroyed my feet, ankles and shins. Specifically, it was from having a low arch on my feet. I wasn’t flat footed, but all the running and heavy lifting without being provided proper footwear has left me in constant pain and requiring the use of a custom made orthotic in both my feet.

Without it, I get shin splints and stress fractures in my legs. With it I can do everything. I was seen by healthcare providers throughout my time in the service but not once was I properly diagnosed. It wasn’t until I went and saw a civilian foot specialist that I found a permanent solution. But the damage is done. My feet still hurt all the time but I can fully function with the orthotic.

Not sure if this helps, but I hope it does.

a reply to: Assassin82

Heh, I must have the opposite from you. I have an unusually high arch in my feet and they're long and narrow. Without the right shoe and arch support, my feet kill me and I develop all the same things you describe.

I was track and field for years ending up NCAA Div. I Collegiate. Those last four years were murder on my feet because I was training all 12 months of the year with that training being intense for 9.

a reply to: ketsuko

Every Dr. and physical therapist said the same thing time and time again; 800mg of Motrin and 6 weeks of rest. That's the military cure-all. About 3-4 years ago I went to a foot and ankle specialist here in Ohio. He told me to take off my shoes and stand up. Then I walked across the room (4-5 steps each way), and went back to the exam table. Immediately he showed me what was happening. He had me turn my knee outward just a little bit, and the arch of my feet kicked up a little bit. All the wear and tear collapsed the arch support and the bottom of my foot was falling flat to the ground because of it.

He casted both my feet so he could get a custom mold, and sent them off to some place that makes the leather inserts. I consider myself a tough guy when it comes to showing emotions, but after a couple days walking around in those I was in tears. There was instant relief in my feet, ankles, legs, back and neck. All the minor aches and pains I chalked up to aging and leading an active lifestyle disappeared. I had a spring in my step I hadn't felt since 2003.

Then, as I started to realize how quickly and easily this guy fixed all my foot problems, I started to get really pissed off at the military for all their B.S. diagnosis's and treatment plans. Motrin is terrible for your internal organs, but there I was tossing 800mg's of it down my gullet day after day for years. All the pain I didn't have to go through during physical training and deployments....never had to happen. But, it is what it is and I signed the dotted line. I'm pain free (mostly) now and that's all that matters.

Have you tried going to a foot and ankle specialist? Or did all the years of running take a permanent toll?

a reply to: ketsuko

Also, you mentioned your feet are long and narrow. As are mine, but with a low arch. Maybe it's the "long and narrow" part that makes for bad feet...