Summer is coming to a close, and for some adults this is the time to begin or get back into a regular exercise routine. In the fall the humidity begins to dwindle away and the heat falls to a comfortable level, creating friendlier workout environment. These conditions allow health seekers to partake in activity without worrying as much about heat-related illnesses. Despite the decreased risk, common non-heat related injuries still pose a threat to everyone regardless of their activity level. Understanding these injuries, as well as proper preventative techniques, is crucial towards helping any individual achieve their fitness goals.
Research has noted that up to 90% of recreational runners have suffered from one or more common injuries in a 12-month span, indicating their heightened risk for physical ailment. An injury can be defined as anything that hinders performance due to damaged tissue, which includes symptoms ranging from pain in bones and muscles to inflammation in and around certain joints. Some common injuries are shin splints, hip pain, knee pain and low back pain. For anyone who has had one of these, they know that these symptoms can be long lasting and turn into a nuisance. Furthermore, common injuries that are ignored can turn into something much worse, such as stress fractures or small tears in joints. Such injuries may sideline an individual for longer than they would like and cause excruciating pain. Even for non-runners, these statistics are staggering, especially since almost every sport or exercise routine involves some type of running, walking, or joint stress during training. Therefore, it is very important to know the main causes of common injuries and how to decrease your risk.
The first main cause of an injury is overuse. We live in a fast-paced, results-oriented society, which is especially evident in the desire for weight loss or increased muscle strength. Thus, people mistakenly believe excessive exercise will help them reach their fitness goals quicker. However, our body can only handle so much impact in a given period of time before tissue damage occurs. This damage can lead to injury and ultimately increase the time it takes to reach fitness goals, rendering the excessive exercise notion obsolete.
The second main factor is muscular imbalance. Muscular imbalance means that proportionally an individual is stronger in one muscle group compared to another in a similar movement pattern – weak hamstrings and strong quadriceps when performing a running movement demonstrates a muscular imbalance. Muscles act in unison to keep our joints stable during exercise. If an individual has the example above, then the quadriceps may pull on the knee so excessively that the weaker hamstrings cannot balance the force, thus leading to a potential injury. Muscular imbalances can also spawn from a lack of flexibility or not having a good range of motion in our joints. Good range of motion causes our joints to generate more power and move more effectively. Let’s pretend you are going to dig a large hole with a shovel. To facilitate this task, we are taught to hold onto the end of the shovel (furthest from the head) because that generates the most leverage and allows us to move the most amount of dirt. Holding onto the shovel closer to its head decreases the leverage and makes the job harder. This is much like having a tight joint. Tight joints don’t allow us to unleash our true power and cause us to work harder than necessary, which increases the stress placed on the joints and eventually leads to injury.
Although many health seekers overuse their muscles and have some form of muscular imbalance, the good news is that these injuries are 99% avoidable if the proper prevention methods are followed. The first and most fundamental measure is listening to your body and knowing how to make the proper progressions. Our bodies have this unique ability to tell us when something feels wrong. Don’t ignore that. Rather, think about the type and amount of exercises performed, the intensity level of each exercise and how long the training session was before fatigue started. Record that data, and avoid increasing any of those variables more than 5% each week. The goal of exercise is to overcome physical challenges in a non-harmful way.
The second and third ways to prevent injury have to do with training your body. They are strengthening your muscles and increasing the range of motion in your joints. These two components go hand-in-hand and should never be left out of an exercise routine. Whether you are (or want to be) a runner, walker, power lifter, athlete, avid fitness class attendee or any level of fitness enthusiast, take a second to assess yourself. Assess any weakness or tightness that you may have throughout the body and dedicate time every day to help correct the issue. Balanced muscular strength increases performance and the body’s tolerance for exercise stress. Optimal flexibility allows your joints to generate more power and causes the body to move more efficiently. Incorporating these techniques into an exercise program will also increase your balance and coordination, which is another positive side effect.
Fear of injury is a barrier to many individuals regardless of their fitness levels. However, this barrier may spawn from the majority of individuals not being aware of the causes of injuries or the techniques used to prevent these ailments. While there are unique circumstances that put certain individuals at increased risk of injury, the information described above puts the average fitness enthusiast at a great advantage for training pain-free. Use the knowledge presented in this newsletter to create a well-rounded routine that allows your joints to only feel the stresses of healthy exercise. Don’t let the injury bug ruin this upcoming season as you fall into fitness.