Prevent Common Workout Injuries

If you’ve vowed to exercise more this year, great! Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your body. Despite its many benefits, there are still risks involved in starting an exercise program. With some preparation and carefulness, you can prevent some of these common workout injuries.

Shoulder, low-back and knee injuries are the most common exercise-induced ailments that land people in the doctor’s office. Here’s how to avoid them.

Shoulder injuries

Rotator cuff injuries are among the most common workout-related injuries seen by health care specialists.These usually happen from training errors. Exercising one area (shoulders) too frequently before giving you muscles and tendons a chance to heal is one of the most common mistakes. You may also be lifting too heavy a weight or doing it too quickly. Make sure you are comfortable with your knowledge of how to execute your workout properly. Ask a worker at your gym or utilize a personal trainer for information. You can also view some free videos online to help.

How do you know if you have injured your rotator cuff? Most of our patients noticed a loud pop followed by acute pain and swelling. An MRI can confirm whether you have a small or complete tear. Often time, rest and physical therapy are the best solutions for small tears. You can seek pain relief and manipulation to speed healing at our office. In the case of an extreme tear, you may need surgery.

To avoid shoulder and rotator cuff injuries in the first place, I advise my patients to focus on proper form and avoid over-lifting weights. Here are some tips to help:

• When doing a bicep curl or a tricep extension, keep the shoulder heads under the ears for proper alignment.
• Avoid rounding the shoulders forward or hunching them up and keep them in a neutral, relaxed position as you perform the arm exercise.
• Make sure that the weight is not too heavy and therefore pulling your shoulder out of alignment.
• Always start with a lighter weight and perfect the form in upper body exercises before increasing the load.