Staying fit is important to lifelong wellness and health. But if you keep getting injured as a result of working out, you may want to look at the ways that your exercise regimen may be hampering your attempts to stay in good physical shape.
Here are four of the most common ways that exercise can lead to injury.
Overtraining
Many people start a new exercise program with great enthusiasm. While motivation is important for keeping you on track toward your fitness goals, there’s a downside: the risk of overdoing it. Too much of a good thing can slow down your progress or even bring it to a grinding halt. Overuse injuries can stem from going too hard or too fast with your workout.
Overuse injuries are the result of repetitive trauma to joints or muscles. Tendonitis and stress fractures are examples of overuse injuries.
Here are some tips for preventing overuse injuries.
- Use proper form and equipment. Consider working with a trainer if you are just starting out, if you’re beginning a new routine, or if it’s been a while since you worked out.
- Pace yourself. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, rather than attempting to cram all of your exercise for the week into a couple of hours on the weekend. If you don’t have time for a 30-minute block, break it down into smaller time intervals during the day.
- Increase your activity level gradually instead of going straight for maximum intensity. For example, a good rule of thumb when strength training is to increase the amount of weight you’re using by 10 percent each week until you reach your goal.
- Mix it up. Rather than focusing on just one type of exercise, do a variety of exercise types (including low-impact activities such as swimming and walking) that help to build strength in different muscle groups.
Inadequate warm-ups and cool-downs
Getting your body ready for activity is one of the most important ways that you can prevent injury. The best way to do this is to incorporate proper warm-up and cool-down routines into your regimen. Warm-ups and cool-downs that are hurried or inadequate can increase your chances of sustaining injury from a workout.
Why and how to warm up. Gently warming up your muscles for 10 – 15 minutes prior to a workout helps boost your body’s core temperature. This has the effect of increasing your range of motion and muscle flexibility, improving elasticity of the tendons and ligaments, and increasing the flow of oxygenated blood to the muscles. Proper warm-ups should consist of light cardiovascular exercise such as walking in combination with stretching.
Why and how to cool down. At the other end of your exercise routine, cool-downs help prevent muscle stiffness and cramps while improving flexibility and range of motion. Examples of appropriate cool-down activities include light jogging or walking, gradually reducing exercise intensity, doing long, slow stretches that are more thorough than the ones in the warm-up phase, and diaphragmatic breathing to slow heart rate and lower blood pressure.
Improper technique and form
Doing exercises with attention to technique and form is very important for injury prevention. Bad technique and form can result in injuries that may get worse over time. , leading to potentially serious conditions that may require surgery to correct.
Technique refers to the way you perform an exercise in order to target specific muscle groups. Form, on the other hand, is about avoiding muscle strain that could lead to injury. Both technique and form are important for minimizing the risk of injury in your exercise routine. Good technique can help you improve the results you get from exercise, while good form helps you avoid potential negative effects that exercise can have on your body.
Incorrect running form can lead to fatigue and decreased performance as well as increased chances for serious injury. In strength training, poor form can lead to poor results, whereas proper form can help you develop strength without muscle strain that can lead to injury.
The best way to learn proper form and technique is to work with a trainer or strength coach who can teach you the proper way to do workouts. Having someone in your court who’s knowledgeable about the right way to exercise can help you achieve your fitness goals without getting sidetracked by avoidable injuries.
Ignoring Pain
Pain is a sign that something is wrong. It has the biological purpose of alerting you that a part of your body is in urgent need of attention. This is why ignoring pain when you exercise is always a bad idea.
While some discomfort is to be expected during exercise, pain is a different story entirely. Sharp or stabbing pains can mean a torn tendon, bone-on-bone contact, a muscle tear, or another serious injury. Pain combined with swelling can be a sign of inflammation from tissue injury. Pain that gets worse with exercise is an indication of injury. In all of these cases, always stop the exercise and see a healthcare professional. Ignoring the pain has the potential to make the injury worse and hamper your fitness goals.
Reduce pain and prevent injuries with physical therapy
Physical therapy is designed to help people improve mobility, increase strength, and prepare the body for training. Physical therapists are movement experts who teach you how to prevent injuries and train safely. Make the most of your workouts by addressing any existing injuries as quickly as possible and preventing new ones. Schedule an appointment with Fyzical Lanham today.