5 Common Weightlifting Injuries You’ll Want To Avoid
Going to the gym is an excellent way to build strength and stay fit. Unfortunately, gyms are a place where it’s easy to get hurt, especially as a beginner. So here’s how to avoid the most common weightlifting injuries you can occur in a gym.
Weightlifting injuries can be painful and difficult to heal. Typically they occur when we overexert ourselves or perform the exercise improperly.
Although it may take more effort to perform an exercise correctly, you really need to. Going about exercise in the wrong way can result in an injury.
The Most Common Weightlifting Injuries
Read on, and we’ll walk you through the most common weightlifting injuries and what to do for fast healing:
1. Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is an overuse injury that occurs when tendons are overloaded. Strange as it sounds, it isn’t always the elbow that has issues: tennis elbow happens because of repetitive motions in the arm and wrist.
When you have tennis elbow, it can be painful to shake hands, hold a coffee mug, or turn a doorknob.
According to Integrity Chiropractic, a chiropractor in Kirkland, WA, it usually takes between 5 and 24 months to heal under supervised treatment.
A good way to prevent tennis elbow is to start your workout session with gripping exercises. The farmer’s carry is an ideal warm-up. Here’s how to perform it properly:
Also, push-ups can help you maintain wrist flexibility.
2. Achilles Tendonitis
Achilles tendonitis is another overuse injury and it occurs at the Achilles tendon. The Achilles is the band of tissue that connects your heel bone to the calf muscles at the back of your lower leg.
This injury is usually caused by excessive running or squatting.
It is best to stretch your calves and ankles before exercising as a method of prevention. Jump rope is a great warm-up exercise as well.
Typically, this injury is treated with physical therapy. The exercises aim to strengthen the Achilles tendon and its supporting structures.
3. Hamstring Tear
Your hamstring is part of the group of three muscles that are aligned along the back of your thigh. When these muscles are pulled or strained too hard, it can result in an injury.
Hamstring tears usually occur to people who play sports like basketball or soccer. It is common in games that involve fast running with sudden starts and stops.
If you aren’t super flexible, performing an exercise with a lot of movement can result in a hamstring injury.
Treatment usually involves physical therapy. The exercises are designed to strengthen your hamstring muscles and improve your flexibility.
4. Herniated Disk
A disk herniation is extremely painful. It refers to an issue with one of the disks between the individual bones that make up your spine. A herniated disk is also sometimes referred to as a ruptured disk or a slipped disk.
This is a common injury for people who squat improperly. It can also happen if you lift with their back muscles instead of using their thigh and leg muscles.
Maintaining good posture and a healthy weight are effective ways to prevent disk herniation. Muscle relaxers and inflammation-suppressing cortisone injections can be used to treat the pain. Physical therapy is also used to help the body heal.
5. Rotator Cuff Injury
Your rotator cuff is the group of tendons and muscles that surround your shoulder joint. They keep the top of your upper arm bone within your shoulder’s socket.
People who perform repeated overhead shoulder exercises may end up straining their rotator cuff. It is also common in tennis and baseball players.
Usually, ice, rest, and physical therapy are all that is needed to treat an injured rotator cuff. But some arm exercises and physical therapy can help strengthen your shoulder and restore your flexibility. If the injury is severe, surgery may be required.
Exercise and weightlifting are great ways to stay fit and healthy. Just remember to take it easy and always stretch before fully exerting yourself – you’ll avoid weightlifting injuries and save yourself from pain later!
