Those who work out regularly are always in danger of an injury. This is especially true for those who have home gyms and work out there, without any sort of supervision of a coach or a trainer.
Some of these injuries happen more frequently than others and it takes time to treat them and allow you to get back to your exercise routine. Here are five of the most common workout injuries and ways for you to help them heal.
Runner’s Knee
As its name says, this injury is something that happens to runners, whether those who run outdoors, or those who use a treadmill at home.
In fact, running on the treadmill is a number one exercise that sends Americans to the emergency room and the runner’s knee is one of the most common injuries it causes.
It occurs as a form of irritation when running movements are too intense and put too much stress on the kneecap. In order to avoid it, you should wear quality running shoes and try running on surfaces that are softer and kinder to your joints.
If the injury still happens, avoid squatting and running for a while, especially up and down hills. Instead, try walking on flat ground before you gradually return to running again.
Shin Splints
When you run or jump with too much intensity, you can end up with inflammation of the muscles around the inner side of your shinbone. Overstressing these muscles can be very painful and if this happens, stop with your workout, since you might be doing it wrong.
Much alike with runner’s knee, you should choose your footwear carefully and exercise on softer and flat surfaces to avoid this injury. However, if it occurs, relieve your shins of too much impact by switching to swimming and biking until you feel better.
You can treat your injury by applying ice on it for a few days and consider taking some anti-inflammatories to help you. Also, make sure you always stretch before working out and that you go back to running slowly, but increasingly.
Lower Back Pain
This is a frequent injury for weightlifters, with those who lift weights at home being at an even greater risk, due to the lack of supervision. To prevent it, stretching before working out is essential.
Also, do some core and strengthening exercises for your back muscles and check that you use your equipment in a safe manner. If the pain occurs and it continues, make sure you seek professional help.
An interesting fact is that this is also the most common work injury for Australians, which is why they often rely on a highly skilled home doctor in Sydney to come to their address and help them with any sort of non-life-threatening injuries and other health issues.
Until the injury heals, adjust the weight you lift and avoid things like twisting motions and overhead or weighted squats.
Shoulder Strain
Any injury to the shoulder is a frequent one, not only when exercising at a gym or at home, but also in a number of sports.
It happens when you damage the muscles and tendons of your shoulder, and especially the rotator cuff, most often due to regular overhead lifting and repetitious intensive training, especially weightlifting.
Stretch before and after exercising for prevention and react as soon as you feel any pain in your shoulders. For treatment, take a break from your exercise routine and talk to a physician about using anti-inflammatory medicines.
Also, while your injury is healing, avoid upright row and pressing motions and make a transition to these kinds of exercises a gradual one. Restrain from heavy lifting for some time and rest and ice your shoulder as often as possible.
Elbow Pain
Although there are many reasons for elbow pain to manifest, it’s most often caused by irritation of a tendon. Although it’s more common in sports like tennis and golf, it can also happen to weightlifters and with some other gym exercises.
It usually occurs when there hasn’t been a proper warm up before training or when the tendons aren’t used to the type of movement they make during the exercise. The injury can be avoided by stretching and warming up the tendons before your workout session.
In case this doesn’t work, consider cross-friction massage and using ice on the painful spot. In the meantime, decrease the weight you’re lifting, don’t make your reps too fast and save your elbow from full lockout when exercising.
No matter how prepared or how careful you are, it only takes a moment to get hurt. In case this happens, follow these tips, but also visit a doctor to check if your injury is more serious than it seems.
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Scarlet is a passionate writer and regular contributor at ripped.me interested in fashion, lifestyle, and health. She loves traveling, you could say that she is a real travel addict, especially when she has a chance to visit some exotic destinations. She would tell you that inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places.
