Factors that causes Overuse Syndrome may include ...

• Too much too soon. Overuse syndromes occur most commonly during the beginning of a season when athletes overtrain to get ready for the sport. Organized sports has also contributed to an epidemic of overuse syndromes by putting pressure on kids to excel. How much is too much? There is no easy answer.
  
  Some studies on certain sports have come out with data. For example, young female gymnasts who train more than 16 hours a week are known to have a significantly increased rate of injury. Young baseball pitchers who do more than 350 overhand throws a week are liable to significantly increased risk for injury.
  
  For most sports, however, there is no hard data. And it behooves the enlightened coach (and parent) to be sensitive to the needs and limitations of their young charges. The common sense approach is to stop and rest when it hurts, but when "winning is everything", common sense can be uncommon.

• Growth. Growth is a dynamic affair that during growth spurts, will cause tightness of certain muscles and tendons, especially the hamstrings, Achilles tendons and hip flexors.
  
  This creates extra tension on the muscle-tendon junction as well as the attachments of the tendons and muscles on the bone, which become more prone to injury. Also, the epiphyseal plates or growth zones at the ends of long bones are prone to injury.
  
  

• Anatomic malalignment. Genu valgum or knock knees can predispose a teenager to patello-femoral syndrome. Pes valgus or flatfeet can predispose a runner to posterior tibial tendinitis.
  
  

• Improper equipment. The child who uses a tennis racket that is meant for an adult is predisposed to elbow tendinitis. The runner who uses shoes that are not supportive or have enough cushion is predisposed to shin splints. The basketball player who trains on concrete or asphalt is more prone to plantar fasciitis.
  
  

• Nutritional and hormonal factors. Proper nutrition is essential for growth as well as for energy necessary for participation in sports. The young gymnasts who not only trains diligently, but also cuts down of food to keep her "ideal body form" is prone to amenorrhea and injuries. Physiological and bone age can be quite different from a child's chronological age, and this has to be taken into consideration.