Today we have a guest post from an author writing about some common workout injuries. Since I have a passion for fitness, I was all ears when she contacted me about writing it. Check it out!
How to Deal With the Most Common Workout Injuries
You’re in your groove, you’re going hard, and you push yourself right past your breaking point.
You thought you were ready to kick things up to the next level, but your body had a different opinion.
You find yourself with a common workout injury, you’re achy, and your progress is hindered.
Instead of kicking yourself (and making your injury worse) because you should have known better, focus on getting yourself well again.
Overuse Injuries
We’ve all had moments where we become so focused on our fitness goals that we don’t take the proper amount of time off to recover. The gains are addictive!
If you’ve pushed a bone, joint, or a tendon past its natural capabilities, you’re going to need a little help. Outside of resting, icing the injury, and using anti-inflammatories (either in capsule or food form), you might need to work with a physiotherapist for overuse injuries that don’t seem to get better on their own.
Shin Splints
Pain on the inside of the shin bone is usually shin splints. They’re so common that most people self diagnose them, but it always helps to have a doctor take a look just in case.
Many runners encounter this common workout injury, especially when they’re building up to a higher intensity.
Bottom line: shin splints need some time to heal.
The best way to prevent this common workout injury is by getting better running shoes, warming up before you run, and slowly increasing intensity. Don’t get overzealous – your shins will thank you.
Back Injuries
Back injuries are a super common workout injury in lifters. If you’re prone to lifting related back injuries, get proper weightlifting shoes.
Use a weightlifting belt sporadically. If you depend on it too much, you’ll prevent yourself from building necessary back and core strength.
Watch your form when you lift. You could be accidentally slipping into bad habits without realizing it. Have someone else watch you lift to be sure that you aren’t putting too much of your back into it.
Rotator Cuff Injuries
Overhead exercises often lead to rotator cuff injuries.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they don’t focus specifically on strengthening their rotator cuff muscles before they put them under extreme stress. Before you go about doing military presses or distance swimming, focus on building the muscles that surround your rotator cuff.
Stay away from exercises that involve a lot of repetitive movements, above the head, until you’re confident with what you’ve built, and even then, be wise about your repetition.
Tendinitis
Tendinitis is most common in the biceps, and it’s usually a result of repetitive lifting. Avoid this common workout injury by cross training. Make sure you’re distributing your efforts evenly across your body, even if you’re most eager to build muscle in a specific area.
You’ll also want to monitor your posture while you’re lifting weights, as poor posture will put undue stress on the tendons. Try to keep up with good posture even when you aren’t exercising – it will become a habit and you’ll never need to think twice.
ACL Tears
ACL injuries and tears, an extremely painful common workout injury, frequently occur in highly athletic people. People who play sports, runners, and people who incorporate jumps into their high intensity workouts are more vulnerable to ACL injuries than others.
Some ACL injuries will require surgery, where a tendon from a different part of the body is grafted to fix the torn ligament.
If you think you have an ACL injury, you need to see a doctor immediately.
Ideally, you’ll want to prevent workout injuries rather than managing them after they happen. Try to be mindful when you’re working out and realize that pain is usually a sign that something is wrong. Don’t push through it unless you’re sure it’s alright to keep going.
About the author of this guest article: Rachel is a mother of 2 beautiful boys. She loves to hike and write about travelling, education and business. She is a Senior Content Manager at Bizset.com – an online resource of relevant business information.
Thanks, Rachel, for sharing this information about common workout injuries. I’m personally guilty of overusing and pushing through, during gains, in spite of a little pain. I’ll try to slow it down. 😉