Common Workout Injuries and How to Prevent Them

Common Workout Injuries and How to Prevent Them
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There is nothing more frustrating than suffering an injury due to your workout. Your intentions have been great. You want to get fitter. You want to make sure you live a long and healthy life. Yet, as soon as you hit the gym, you are punished for it! Your legs ache or you have pulled your back out, and now you can’t exercise for the next week or so. This can be incredibly frustrating, but it can be avoided. Read on to discover more about some of the most common workout injuries, as well as some tips on how to prevent them.

Strains in your lower back – Have you experienced a sharp and sudden twinge in your lower back? In most cases, this is a sign that you have overdone it. Also, it could be because you have not adopted the correct form when doing deadlifts or squats. This can wreak havoc on your lower back, which can result in disk herniation and nerve compression if you continue to do so. If you are ever unsure regarding a certain exercise or using a piece of gym equipment, it is vital to ask an instructor for help. Don’t underestimate the damage that can be done by performing an exercise incorrectly.

Shin splints / medial tibial stress syndrome – If you have pain that is occurring along your shinbone / tibia inner edge, this is a shin splint. It often happens if you are engaging in a sport or exercise that involves jumping or running. It is basically muscle inflammation, and it can be very painful. If you have recently increased the frequency or the intensity of your workouts, then this may be why you’re suffering from inflammation. There are other aspects that can increase the risk of shin splints, including wearing worn-out shoes, running downhill or uphill, and running on ground that is not even. The importance of a good warm-up in this case cannot be ignored, as well as wearing proper workout shoes. You also shouldn’t increase the intensity of your workouts dramatically; this should be a gradual process.

Twisting your ankle – An ankle sprain is something that almost everyone will have experienced at least once in his or her life. It does not only happen when running outdoors; it can occur in the gym while you are on the treadmill too. One of the main reasons why ankle sprains occur is because of lost focus. This is specially the case when exercising on a treadmill. If you run outdoors, running off curbs can increase the risk of twisting your ankle, as well as running on bad terrain. Pick your routes carefully.

Serious conditions that have come from ignoring the pain and hoping it will go away – Yes, everyone is going to suffer from tired muscles after they have exercised. It is normal to feel some aches and pains after a hard workout session. However, there is a difference between tired muscles and damage. If the pain goes above and beyond the norm, you should never simply ignore it and hope it goes away on its own. It could be that you have caused some serious damage to yourself. You may think that you have simply worked too hard on arm day, or you may have cervical radiculopathy. The best thing to do is see a medical professional. You don’t want to take any risks and make the situation worse. Your doctor will be able to get to the root of the issue, and advise you on the best cause of action. After all, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Pain under your kneecap  – If your pain gets worse when you have bent knees while sitting for an extended frame of time, walk down the stairs, or go running, this could be a sign of runner’s knee, or patellofemoral syndrome as it is professionally known. You may also hear a grating, creaking or crunching sound. This can happen due to squatting, jumping or running, and it often happens when you overwork yourself and do too much mileage. You should avoid squatting or kneeling repeatedly and make sure your work on knee health if you are susceptible to pain here.

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding regarding some of the most common workout injuries, as well as the steps you should take to stop these injuries happening to you. If you are unsure regarding how to use a piece of gym equipment, simply ask someone. Don’t embark on a trial and error process. Also, if you start to feel any pain that is unusual and goes beyond the normal aches and pains, make sure you see a medical professional as soon as possible.

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