As more and more people become aware of health related issues, the membership quantity to gyms is increasing by the day. Everybody wants to exercise, but no body wants to get hurt while doing so. Still, according to a study conducted by researchers at University of Arkansas, there has been a 35% increase in cases related to gym and workout injuries.
An owner of a fitness club in San Diego, Mr. Justin Price, says that workout injuries happen due to:
- Poor posture of the body – While doing various tasks in the day, people do not have the right posture. This results in the slow but steady weakening of the entire musculoskeletal structure of the body.
- Haste – Many people want to achieve too much in little time. To achieve their fitness goals quickly, they do more repetitions or lift excess weight and do workout, over time.
Some of the common workout injuries are listed below. Read the causes and preventions to avoid having these common injuries when you workout at your gym.
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Knee Injures
Cause – Knee injuries are more common in people, who do desk jobs during the day. The hip muscles remain dormant for a major part of the day. Then, all of a sudden, doing a strenuous workout can put extra pressure on the knees. The pressure becomes, all the more, unbearable if
- due to improper footwear, the feet are not stable, OR
- if the muscles of the hip area are weak.
Prevention – Lunges are a good solution to the knee injuries. Lunge exercises bend the hip and ankle simultaneously, so that the knee is more stable and has more strength. It is better to perform side, forward and backward lunges together.
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Foot and Ankle Injuries
Cause – Sitting in front of a computer for large portion of a day is a reason for injuries that occur in the foot and ankle. Many people sit in front of a computer with rounded shoulders. When they stand up, their weight falls to the front portion of their feet. The center of gravity of the body gets misplaced and the feet and ankles become prone to injuries.
Prevention – A running shoe with low heel or a walking shoe is helpful in avoiding these foot and ankle injuries. A tennis shoe or a cross trainer shoe is also beneficial. These shoes spread the standing and other impacts to the whole foot. The medical complexities that can be avoided are Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, lateral compression syndrome and anterior compartment syndrome.
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Lower Back Injuries
Cause – Doing a job with upper back rounded is bad for your back, especially when you enter the gym and perform a standing overhead shoulder lift. This is so because a rounded upper back cannot extend fully, all of a sudden. The sudden strengthening and arching of the upper back area, in the upward direction, causes nerve damage. Soreness is found to occur in many cases. The injuries are greater as well.
Prevention – The hunching done at the office can be compensated by stretching the upper back. Straight armed wall squats are beneficial and help to avoid lower back injuries. It is also good to exercise in a standing position. A standing workout engages the muscle groups of the body.
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Shoulder Injuries
Cause – The long hours of mouse use along with typing can have a bad effect on your shoulders. The arms rotate internally when you type. This puts extra pressure on shoulders. The carpal tunnel syndrome further contributes to shoulder injuries when your perform exercises like shoulder press, pus-ups, chest press, etc. The rotator cuff of the shoulder gets damaged causing supraspinatus tendonitis.
Prevention – The shoulders can be balanced by rotating the arms externally. Rowing with cables is a good exercise which can be beneficial in this condition.
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Neck Injuries
Cause – Sitting with rounded shoulders results in arching of the neck. The poor posture also decreases the mobility of the upper back region. Thus, when you perform exercises like bench press, your lower back and neck is strained.
Prevention – Reverse shrugs are helpful in this situation. Have support for your neck and lower back while performing bench press workout.
Having right postures during various day time activities and not being impatient are effective ways to avoid workout injuries. Patience and perseverance will guide you towards your fitness goals and you will avoid workout injuries as well. Engaging a certified personal trainer is also very beneficial. He will certainly help you in adopting right techniques and postures for your exercises and workouts. Shun your ego to realize your fitness goals in a more realistic manner.
