4 Ways To Avoid Gym Injuries

Stan 22/02/2012 6

I think we all know what what I’m referring to here. You either train without warming up or down properly and the next day you’re limping around because of it. Stay fit and healthy by avoiding these 4 common gym afflictions.

1. Abdominal hernia

Hernias occur when a part of an organ or tissue pushes through a weekend part of the abdominal wall. Limit your risk by doing abdominal exercises, such as crunches, to build a stronger, more stable core. Deano has suffered with a double hernia in the past so he’s added some additional comments about this below. Problem exercises: Any heavy lifting, deadlifts or squats.

2. Tendonitis

Most commonly caused by overuse, tendonitis is a painful inflammation that can affect any joint. Knees and the achilles tendons tend to bear the brunt of this injury.If you feel any pain, stop immediately and treat with ice to reduce swelling. Problem exercises: Treadmill running.

3. Rotator cuff pain

The rotator cuff is made-up of 4 muscles, which stabilise the shoulders. Going heavy in the gym too soon will only force you out of it. Problem exercises: Shoulder press and lateral raises.

4. Pain in the neck

Problem exercises: Lat pull-downs behind the head. This is one of my favourite exercises on the machine and I have suffered from bad necks in the past. Now I just make sure my neck is stretched correctly before I start and I up the weight accordingly throughout my sets. Alternatively you can just bring the bar down in front of you level with your chest.

Stay fit and healthy folks,

6 Comments »

  1. Deano 22/02/2012 at 7:58 pm - Reply

    My hernia was at first an undiagnosed injury in the groin and I was simply told to rest. This went on for a very long time and being a keen footballer at the time shrugged it off as a dull ache and pull. RUN IT OFF!

    Needless to say it didn’t go and finally the GP referred me upon requested to a consulted at the local BUPA hospital.

    I was told I needed an operation to correct a Bilateral hernia (hernia on both sides of my groin). There are many different hernias and the ones I had are often referred to as a Sportman’s Hernia.

    This groin disruption is a severe musculo-tendinous injury of the groin, which can be successfully treated by the surgery.

    Symptoms are pain in the groin increased by running, sprinting, twisting and turning, and kicking. After sport, the patient is stiff and sore. The day after a game, turning or getting out of bed or a car often causes pain, as may coughing, sneezing and sit-ups.

    This is caused usually by overstretching, abduction and eversion injuries. I was told it is an overuse (wear and tear) injury.

    I was admitted on the day of operation and returned home the next day. There is a standard rehab program to follow and it was the base of my rehab. Total rehab took about 4-5 weeks for myself seeing a physio twice a week with plenty of pool (water) and core work. I took 4 weeks off work post op to ensure that I could go back to full activity levels working in a gym. On week 4-5 I was running again and lifting as normal pretty much.

    The swelling in the area took about 8 to 12 weeks to clear completely.

    I may do a full blog soon about my experience and full rehab programme.

    • Robert 15/04/2012 at 2:26 pm - Reply

      That sounded very painful Deano! Glad you’re back and fit again :)

  2. Nicolas 14/04/2012 at 12:54 am - Reply

    I’ve suffered from gym injuries in the past and there are a lot of people who’ll still make these mistakes. Hopefully they’ll read this brilliant article first and avoid them!

  3. Mary 29/05/2012 at 1:19 am - Reply

    I suffer with bad knees in the gym, I’ve been to the Doctors and they told me I just have weak bones. I’m currently taking supplements to try and help. Nice article.

  4. Mark 31/05/2012 at 12:24 am - Reply

    Useful post and very true. I run a fitness website, we should hook up sometime. Mark

  5. Dave 05/06/2012 at 11:25 pm - Reply

    Wish I’d read this sooner! Great article, thanks.

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