Common Weightlifting Injuries
By Sara Butler
Lifting weights is great exercise. It helps to build muscle to support a healthy spine and a healthy body. But if you do it wrong you risk injuring yourself. Many people don’t stick to proper form when weightlifting because the body often looks for the path of least resistance. But form is important if you want to avoid common weightlifting injuries. Here are a few of them and how to avoid them!
Disc Herniation
A poor lifting technique can land you with a herniated disc. If you suffer from back pain or tingling, numbness, or pain that travels down the legs, then you may have a herniated disc. This condition can be made worse by poor posture, especially when exercising or lifting.
Paying attention to your form and putting your spine in the right position, you’re putting the least amount of stress on your spine and spinal discs. Plus, it engages your core more effectively, building stronger muscles that will ultimately support your back.
Achilles Tendonitis
This condition is a common injury for weightlifters as well as runners. It causes pain in the heel that shoots up the back of the calf where the Achilles tendon is. The symptoms can stick around for quite a long time as tendons can take quite a long time to heal appropriately. If this condition is impacting you, then you need to work on decreasing inflammation first, and then gradually build your calf strength back up.
You can prevent this injury by regularly stretching your legs and calves before and after exercise.
Tennis Elbow
This is an overuse injury caused by over-gripping. It, much like other tendon injuries, can linger for quite a while. The symptoms of this injury include pain on the outside of the elbow when you straighten your arm, a dull ache in the elbow, and pain when you pull your palm toward you.
To treat this injury, rest the area to help control inflammation. Then work on strengthening and stretching the muscles in the arm, regularly massaging it to increase blood flow. As the symptoms subside, you can gradually increase exercise. Just make sure to stop if you experience pain – don’t push through it.
Also make sure you warm up your arms appropriately before lifting weights, working on flexibility in the wrist too.
Lifting weights is good for you, but make sure you're doing it right to avoid injury. If you notice something is wrong, get help!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Columbus, Ohio.