Injuries
The most common injuries in fitness are caused by overuse. We all have to understand how to avoid overuse to prevent injuries. As we learned in my periodization blog, exercise should be preformed at a moderate and gradual increase of stress to our skeletal muscle system.

Stress along with rest allows our cardiovascular and muscle systems to strengthen and prepare for the next time we ask our body to exceed our stress level. This is where we as humans are phenomenal. If we were to take a motorcycle for example and run it hard and stress it, it would either return to its normal state (if it’s a good one) or it will start to show signs of wear and tear. On the other hand if we stress our body and then give it adequate rest we will get stronger.

I can hear the question now. How much stress is too much? We always assume that more is better. If I lift heavier and more often I will get bigger. Now what we are forgetting is to let our body rest in between workouts. If we choose not to rest there is no rebuilding or strengthening. Long ago when I first started working in a gym the owner had pulled aside a young kid who had been coming in everyday to train his biceps. He wanted bigger arms period. The owner asked this kid “if I punch you in the nose today and you come back tomorrow and I punch you again and again then next day. Is your nose ever going to heal?” The kid looked shocked and said “no” So the owner then asked “Then why do you beat up your biceps everyday?” I always loved that analogy. We need minimum 48 hours of rest for each specific muscle before we place them under stress again.

The overuse of a muscle or groups of muscles can lead us to many common injuries
because we don’t allow our body to heal. A typical warning sign that you need to rest a specific part of your body is localized pain or soreness. We are all different and our bodies all handle stress differently so don’t gauge your workouts on someone else. An increase of 10 or more beats per minute in your resting heart rate, being irritable or sluggish, fatigued and tired are warning signs that you may need a day or two off.
Rest is so important and I can’t stress that enough. The more you work a sore or damaged muscle, tendon or ligament the greater your chances of serious injury. Listen to your body. We all know our bodies best.

Common injuries related to fitness or other sports activities would be:

Muscle Soreness
Soreness 1-2 days after a workout is normal when exercising unconditioned muscles.
Stiffness or soreness in these muscles can even persist for a week or more. Rest, ice,
stretching, and extended warm-ups will aid in the repair of these sore areas.

Sprains
A sprain is a damaged ligament. Ligaments attach bones to bones. Ligament damage can occur through an accident, falling, or overuse. Sprains can range from overstretching and micro-tears in the ligament to complete tears in the ligament. Minor sprains are often treated with ice and extended rest, where as severe sprains require immediate medical attention and could involve surgical repair procedures.

Tendonitis
Tendons attach muscle to bones. Tendonitis is an injury to the tendon or the muscle, and one of the more common injuries in fitness. Mild tendonitis or muscle strains can be treated with rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce swelling. In some cases, your doctor or physical therapist may prescribe an exercise routine that strengthens the supporting muscle groups to take the strain of the injured tendon.

These routines often include an exercise that isolates the supporting muscle using low weight and high repetitions.

Contusions
A contusion is usually caused by a blow or strike to a muscle. This collision may cause
swelling and bleeding and form a contusion. Normal muscle function and range of motion will be impacted as the blood coagulates and scar tissue forms in the impacted area. Treatment can consist of rest, ice, and a light muscle massage. Always consult the medical advice and treatment of a physician in the event of a serious injury.

Fracture
A fracture is a serious injury and involves a chip or break in the bone. A ‘stress fracture’, while also serious, is not a true fracture. If not treated, stress fractures can become actual fractures of bones in the weakened area. Depending on the impacted bone, the treatment of a true fracture usually involves immobilization of the impacted area with a cast. Once the cast is removed, re-conditioning of the area could take months, as the area will be weakened and will need to be gradually introduced to increased work loads.

All of these injuries are preventable. What we need to do is add time into our workout
programs for rest after the muscles have been stressed. This is the only way to reach our fitness goals quicker and easier. Train hard and rest hard. We don’t want to spend more time injured then healthy. Take it from me when it comes to injuries I have broken just about every bone in my body, torn many ligaments, fractured, sprained and even collapsed lungs. Don’t make the mistake and get injured, get your rest. Don’t make me punch you in the nose to teach you a lesson.

Written By JJ Confalone