Training for health and pleasure sometimes ends in injury. Alas, not all of us are able to choose the right load and type of exercise for ourselves, hence such sad consequences. Let’s analyze which injuries we suffer most often in the gym and how to prevent them. It’s not hard!
As a rule, the injury manifests itself as a sharp pain right during exercise. But there are also so-called fatigue injuries – they occur when small injuries accumulate in the same place. Then the painful sensations can start at a minimum and increase, even after training.
If you cannot fully bend or unbend a limb in any joint, there is swelling, redness, severe pain – see a doctor!
Proper Warmup Will Prevent Muscle and Ligament Strain
Stretching of muscles and ligaments is caused by sudden movements or their unnatural trajectory. Both can be caused by too high a tempo, for example, when you go to an aerobics class at a level that is not suitable for you after looking at the results your favorite athletes show at the bookmaker online tables.
Excessive weights (in the free weights zone, as well as weights when jumping or running) are equally dangerous. Dangerous things are all kinds of complicated presses, curls, cable-pulling exercises, in which the hands go sideways, behind the head, etc. Make it a rule to do complicated movements with small weights.
You can distinguish a sprain from other injuries by the fact that its place hurts at rest and especially when you start moving, and as you warm up the pain becomes weaker. However, that’s no reason to keep working out! Allow the muscle to recover.
A sprain is one of the few injuries for which you don’t need to see a doctor. However, if it’s close to the joint or you are not sure – it’s better to consult.
Torn Ligaments and Tendons – See a Doctor Right Away
Rupture of ligaments, tendons, muscles in fact – the highest degree of sprain. Occurs for the same reasons and is prevented in exactly the same way. All kinds of twisting in the knees, ankles, waist, etc. are especially “rich” in tears.
You can tell the difference between a tear and a sprain by the fact that the pain starts to hurt immediately and doesn’t go away from the heat. In this case, it is better to consult a specialist, because the tear can be accompanied by displacement or damage to the nearest joint.
Gym Sprain
Sprains are most often the result of a fall (e.g. from a step platform, inflatable hemisphere, treadmill). Fortunately, they don’t happen that often. Watch your heels – they should never hang off any steps or platforms – and don’t over-pace.
Another cause of sprains is trying to lift too heavy a dumbbell or weight over yourself. The shoulder joint is most often affected by dislocations because it has no support from above in the form of a bone, as in other mobile joints.
You can recognize a dislocation by not being able to fully lift or bend the limb in the injured joint, plus it hurts a lot. If you have a dislocation, you need to see a trauma surgeon because it won’t go back on its own.
To keep your knees healthy, don’t squat low – the pelvis should always be above the knee. Don’t squat! Don’t do kneeling rotations with your feet on the floor or rigidly secured in the trainer. During squats, lunges, and leg presses, make sure your knees move over your feet without shifting inward or outward. And no squats, even shallow squats, with crossed legs.
Injuries to the feet and ankles tend to occur when there is an accumulation of injuries. If you have a lot of weight, flat feet, avoid long jogging, aerobics, where there is a lot of jumping, jumping in crossfit. Keep in mind that jumping up is less dangerous than jumping down. Another factor of damage is all sorts of twists, rotations while standing on the floor, especially sharp and with a jerk.
Even if you’re in good physical shape, train in specialized shoes for the kind you’re doing. No “for all occasions” sneakers: aerobics, gym, and game sports need different shoes. It’s a lifesaver not only for your feet and ankles, but also for your knees and sometimes even your back.
Lower back injuries are usually caused by too much weight when bending over (meaning both the weight of the bar and your own weight). If you came to lose weight – temporarily forget about bends and rotations with weights! Only lift the abs with a small amplitude, without taking your lower back off the floor.
Unprepared lower back muscles don’t hold the weight and it “rests” on vertebrae and intervertebral discs, and endless back and forth movements literally grind the nerve roots.
