The word ‘injury’ can strike fear in the heart of any athlete. Fitness enthusiasts love setting their personal bests, challenging themselves, and seeing results. Suddenly finding themselves with an injury and unexpected pain can dampen their mood and cause terrible pain.
While missing out on your workout can be quite depressing and set, it also provides you with a good opportunity to analyze why your injury occurred in the first place – to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself.
We have listed down some of the most common workout injuries that you need to look out for.
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Runner’s Knee
As the name suggests, runner’s knee is one of the most common injuries for runners. Most running injuries occur due to the irritation of the cartilage located under the kneecap. Runner’s knee occurs when due to the misalignment of the knee. The cartilage under the kneecap gets impacted over a period of time, causing pain and inconvenience when climbing up or down the stairs. This pain often worsens over time due to overexertion.
The best way to prevent runner’s knee is to avoid placing excessive weight and pressure on the knee and avoiding squatting or kneeling repeatedly. Wearing proper footwear, changing the surfaces you run on, and using short strides can help avoid this injury.
Achilles Tendinitis
The Achilles tendon is the large tendon that connects the calf to the back of the heel. The inflammation of this tendon causes a condition known as Achilles Tendinitis. This injury results in pain and stiffness at the back of the lower leg right about the heel. Overtraining, poorly-supported footwear or a sudden increase in the intensity or volume of training can exert a lot of stress and pressure on the Achilles tendon.
Wearing appropriate footwear, making a gradual change in your training routine, and incorporating exercises that strengthen your calf muscles in your workout routine, can be a great way to reduce the risk of this injury.
Pulled Hamstring
A pulled hamstring is one of the most commonly occurring injuries amongst athletes, especially runners. The hamstring is made up of four muscles that run along the back of your thigh, allowing you to bend your leg at the knee. The overload of one or more of those muscles causes strain on your hamstring, which is highly likely to result in a tear.
Mild stress causes somewhat bearable pain, but the pain may be unbearable in some cases, making it nearly impossible to stand or walk. Many people also experience a popping or snapping feeling when exercising and tenderness or pain in the thigh and lower button during any movement.
The best way to avoid a hamstring is to do warm-up exercise before and after your workout or run. Also, it is recommended that you gradually increase the volume and intensity of your workout to avoid pulling your hamstring. Performing strengthening exercises for your leg muscles is also another great preventative measure.
Plantar Fasciitis
This condition is recognized by the inflammation of the bottom of the feet. It is characterized by a tight and sharp painful sensation similar to the feeling of stepping on a nail. The pain caused due to this condition varies from moderate to excruciating. Wearing the wrong footwear, overtraining, or weakened foot muscles can cause excessive load on your heels, leading to this injury.
You need to maintain a healthy weight according to your height to avoid excessive pressure on your heels. Moreover, wearing supportive shoes with cushioning and good arch support can help prevent this condition. Also, avoid roaming around barefoot and try to alternate running with other sports to avoid imposing stress on your heels.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
This condition is caused due to certain activities and conditions that exert pressure on your median nerves that goes through the carpal tunnel located in the wrist. This stress causes many different symptoms. Certain activities such as plank pose, push-ups, and other activities make you bend the wrist backward or forward, quickly reducing the amount of space in the carpal tunnel. Recurrent hand and wrist movements also caused the membranes around the tendons to inflame.
Carpal tunnel syndrome can avoid exercises such as planks and pushups that require excessive bending of the wrist. It is recommended to use hand and wrist movements that spread motion and pressure equally throughout your arms. Also, remember to switch hands and positions when making repetitive motions. Moreover, correct posture is also important to avoid carpal tunnel.
Sternal Fracture
The sternum is the bone that is attached to two clavicles on the upper side of the chest and the upper ribs. It isn’t uncommon for the bar to come crashing down on you during a bench press. This can cause a huge impact on the sternum, bruising or breaking it. A fractured sternal may also cause damage to the bones and other structures of the body, such as your ribs, lungs, vertebrae, and blood vessels. A sternal fracture may also result in intense chest pain during coughing, breathing, laughing, or sneezing. This condition can worsen due to pain and swelling due to certain movements such as pulling, pushing, and heavy lifting.
Anyone suffering from a sternum fracture must avoid any heavy or strenuous activities that can elevate the pain level and aggravate the injury. Moreover, you will need to be very careful even after your sternum has healed, which means that you should make a gradual return to your workout routine under the guidance of a doctor.
Bicep Tendon Rupture
Your bicep has two main tendons; one that attaches itself to your shoulder and one that connects with your elbow. Attempting to curl heavy weights or suddenly dropped a bar or dumbbell can risk the tear of your bicep tendon. This may be a partial tear that damages your soft tissue, or it may be a rupture that causes intense pain and swelling.
You must avoid any heavy lifting to avoid this condition. If you have suffered from this condition, then you must make a gradual return to physical activities. Also, always remember to lift weights that you can handle.
Some of these common workout injuries can impact you for life if you don’t take proper care of them, especially during the healing process. If you are a fitness enthusiast who can’t skip a day of their workout, then make sure to follow proper guidelines, wear proper shoes, and be careful when working out!
