Common Exercise Injuries You Need to Know
A friend of mine recently was playing basketball with some guys about 1015 years younger than he is. And, just like me, he considers himself invincible and assumed he could
‘hang’ with the young bucks. Well, turns out he was mistaken (although he was quick to remind me he was 5 of 6 from the floor before his injury)! He lunged forward in a fast break only to land awkwardly on another player’s foot, rolling his ankle. Immediate pain and humility set in. He, in fact, was not invincible. To recover, he was placed in a boot and told to stay off that leg for 3 weeks. He started physical therapy as the swelling went down. Anti-inflammatories were his best friends, and he worked on stretching. Weeks later, he was back to normal…albeit with a little less pride and a little more humility.
Have you ever been there? Had an exercise-related injury? Or maybe you haven’t committed to that New Year’s resolution yet of starting to exercise and maybe part of that hesitancy is due to fear of injury. Here’s some overarching advice: start exercise at a level you are comfortable with, make it fun, and stay consistent! Also, stay flexible – it’s way more important than most folks realize! Let’s look at a few more common injuries and some possible solutions…
Reasons for knee injuries usually include overuse, a past injury, lack of flexibility, overweight, or prior surgery. Ways to improve an injury here include rest, anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen, Omega-3’s, etc), surgery, and/or physical therapy. There are specific stretches and exercises that can help with recovery. With all these injuries, you need to see a healthcare provider and let them address what’s the best route of recovery for you.
Lower back pain is very common. In general, we tend to not strengthen our core muscles as much as we should. I fall in to this category and, as I’ve gotten older, have realized the importance of maintaining good core strength. Reasons for injury include lack of flexibility, bad form, previous injury, and stress on the body. You can improve or even prevent lower back pain through core strengthening, increasing flexibility, having surgery, or going through physical therapy. There are specific exercises that a healthcare provider – especially a physical therapist – can suggest. I personally try to do core strengthening exercises at least twice weekly (…although I’m not saying I’m actually able to stick to that – but it is my goal)!
As with all of these, reasons for injury include overuse, past injury, bad form when performing muscle strengthening exercises, and lifting something too heavy. Recovery comes from all different avenues including surgery, physical therapy, band therapy, massage, and stretching to name a few.
You don’t have to be playing tennis to get tennis elbow – the name is misleading. A friend of mine got it playing golf and it was debilitating for him for a several weeks! You can get this from tennis, golf, lifting weights, or general overuse. Rest, physical therapy, and stretching all take part in helping with recovery. You can even prevent this through wrist curls and/or wearing an elbow brace for support.
In the setting of exercise, we usually see an ankle injury with running, jumping, or twisting. Recovery falls in line with recommendations my friend followed: protective brace, rest, ice, compression, elevation, progressive stretching once the inflammation is gone, and physical therapy.
When it comes to exercise, I’d say know your limits but also, once you are consistently ‘back in the game’, push your limits to new heights. Yes, there’s a chance you could get injured, but there’s way more benefit than risk in pushing yourself through exercise. It is one of the best things, if not the best thing, you can do for your overall health!