An initial 5‐week shaping period in which rats learn to pull at high force levels also induces elevated levels of extracellular and fibrogenic proteins (periostin‐like factor, CCN2, and transforming growth factor β1 [TGFβ1]), relative to control rats.17, 19 Thus, we sought here to determine if a monoclonal antibody that binds human and rodent CCN2 would reduce progression of tissue fibrosis and sensorimotor declines induced early in our operant rat model of overuse‐induced musculoskeletal disorders. Here, CCN2 is linked to musculoskeletal system disorder.