Do you know how to work out safely?
Many people have never had instruction from a certified personal trainer, strength coach or medical professional on how to work out, whether it’s walking on the treadmill or lifting weights at the gym. Without the proper form, posture and frequency, workouts can change from a healthy, good event to a sports injury before you know it. WebMD recently put together a slide show on the 9 WORST exercises that you can do. They include some of the most common exercises that I see causing injuries in my patients.
Another disturbing trend that I see with patients that work out is that they ignore pain and just “sweat it out” or wait for it to go away. Although you may have dull muscle achiness after a good workout, pain with certain movements or exercises is not normal and you are doing damage to your body. Most commonly, weight lifters will develop various tendonitis injuries in their shoulders, arms or hips and continue training anyway or simply stop doing the exercise that hurts. The tendonitis is a warning light, letting you know that your body needs service. Over time, tendonitis creates brittle and weak muscle tendons that are prone to rupture that requires a surgical repair. Not a fun experience!
Sports injuries occur when the body is out of balance and muscles/joints fight against each other instead of moving together. The earlier treatment occurs, the faster of a recovery the patient has. The longer these injury patterns persist, scar tissue and other damage occurs creating a deeper injury and a longer treatment plan.
If you are looking to start running this year, I highly suggest joining a Walk2Run group at Dick Pond Athletics in Schaumburg or Carol Stream. This is a free 10 week program designed to help walkers transition into running without injuries. Check out their website at http://www.dickpondathletics.com/ for more information.
The next time you go to work out, make sure you’re confident in your form and exercises to prevent injuries. As always, we’re available to answer questions or help you design a work out program that is safe for you!