Risk Management’s Workers’ Compensation Unit defines an overexertion incident as one in which a person is injured as a result of putting excessive strain on some part of the body. A common example is a back injury sustained from awkwardly lifting a heavy object. Overexertion injuries are usually sprains, strains, hernias and cumulative trauma from repetitive motion. An overexertion injury occurs when a person works beyond his or her physical capacity. More specifically, the physical forces required to perform a task exceed the tolerances of the body. Poor physical condition, aging and its related loss of body flexibility, and obesity affect these tolerances.