6 Most Common Fitness Injuries and How To Avoid Them

The New Year is here and you must have used this landmark time to make some resolutions for the coming year. Well! Is one of your New Year resolutions to join some fitness program? As we all know getting more fit and losing weight is one of the common resolutions made by people because after the holidays, when they look down their waistlines, they have a strong desire to increase fitness and activity. The treadmills in all gyms become almost packed. But as time passes, it becomes difficult for them to maintain their fitness goals. There are several reasons why people get demotivated from continuing their fitness program. Some of them include lack of time, unavailability of proper place, or some injuries while working out.

These injuries are one of the most common reasons, why people stop their fitness program midway. It can happen to anyone, irrespective of your experience or fitness level. They are not only physically unpleasant but also cause laziness and sometimes may lead to depression. People face these injuries due to lack of proper training, attention, poorly maintained or broken equipment and for not following precautions. If you’ve been injured in an accident at a gym or fitness centre due to the negligence of the owner, then you can get in touch with Slater and Gordon who give you helpful advice.

Fitness injuries are very painful, debilitating and can keep you back for weeks or months from your workout goals. But do not panic, most of them can be easily avoided by following certain steps. After all, it is not a difficult challenge.

Let’s now discuss some important common fitness injuries and how we can avoid them.

1. Hamstring Strain

Hamstring strain is sudden sharp pain that occurs in the back of the thigh muscles. It occurs either because of sprinting or stretching. When strain occurs because of a sprint then it recovers fast but when it occurs because of a stretch, recovery is very slow as they are related to tendons, where the blood flow is very low.

Certain precautions can help in preventing these strains

• By loosening up the lower back because it is the region where the nerves controlling the hamstring comes from. A flexible lower back helps a lot in avoiding hamstring strain.
• Keeping loose glutes.
• By keeping good strength.

Must Read: 6 Reasons Why You Should Do Stretching Before Working Out

2. Rotator Cuff Injury

It is one of the most common problems in shoulder injuries. It is a microtrauma or overuse injury that occurs because of training programming errors, excessive weight progression, and improper form. If during a workout the rotator cuff is very weak and is not properly engaged, the upward pull of the deltoid will have a pinching effect on the cuff against the top part of the shoulder blade that meets with the collarbone. This results in swelling and inflammation in the region between cuff and acromion, leading to severe discomfort.

How to avoid: To avoid this injury, it is recommended to engage the rotator cuff with resistance below the level that will put much work on deltoid and pectoralis muscles.

3. Knee Ligament Injuries

Ligament injuries occurring in your knee will put you in sidelines very fast and puts a limitation on whatever work you do. These ligaments are the tough band of tissues that connect the bones in your body. They are highly prone to injuries during a workout. They can cause

• Sudden and severe pain.
• Swelling.
• Looseness feeling in the joint.

However, by taking certain precautions, knee ligament injuries can be avoided during the workout.

• Stretching and strengthening to keep the thigh muscles strong.
• Warming up the body by doing light activities before taking part in tougher ones.
• By maintaining body flexibility.
• Avoid doing intense workouts suddenly.

4. Ankle Sprain

This type of sprain occurs when the ligaments in the ankle tears or stretches too much. Ligaments are responsible for stabilizing the ankle, as they hold the bone together, allowing some movement. However, when there is too much movement they can cause a sprain. Improper jumping, walking, and sometimes the weak muscles, are the reasons behind ankle sprain. It leads to swelling, bruising, stiffness and very tender to touch.

To prevent these sprains one must follow certain precautions like:

• Stretching before and after exercise.
• Doing exercises that strengthen the muscles around ankle.
• Improving body balance.

5. Low Back Pain

Painful lower back is one of the most common fitness injuries. It occurs because of strain in the muscles surrounding the spine that results from overusing, bulging, damaged spinal discs or traumatic injury to the disc. It happens mostly during weightlifting and other such workouts.

To prevent low back pain, one can follow certain practices while working out like:

• Exercising to strengthen the core muscles.
• Keeping the hamstring stretched.
• Maintaining a good posture.
• Maintaining an overall good health.

6. Tendinitis

It is inflammation or irritation of the tendon, which is a thick cord that attaches a bone to muscle. It results from overusing during workouts that injure the tendons. It mostly occurs elbow, wrist, finger thigh and many more places. They usually cause

• Pain that increases with movement.
• A lump.
• Heat and redness.
• Results in difficult movement.

These injuries can be easily prevented by

• Exercises that strengthen the muscles around the tendon.
• Warming up and stretching properly.
• Avoiding to remain in the same position for a long time.

Although, it is a truth that no one is immune to injury, certain things can help in decreasing the possibility of getting hurt. So, carry on with your fitness regime, by keeping an eye on certain measures that may prevent you from getting injured.