Gone are the days when working out was just about keeping a healthy weight.
Now everyone wants a beach body, or six packs.
The more muscle mass you want, the more effort you put into your workout. You may end up spraining your muscle, and when the pain persists, it may be felt constantly during a workout.
How to prevent workout injuries
- Master your form: If you must lift heavy weights, make sure you take proper body form. Knowing how to position your body during a workout will not only stop you from hurting yourself, but also help you achieve maximum results
- Know when to stop: Many fitness trainers advise that you don't stop when you are tired, stop when you are done. To be able to build up muscles, you have to push yourself to the limit, but you can overdo it. If you notice that a routine wears you out, then it's time to stop. Do not push through the pain and even if you must, be careful with your every move. To avoid being tired, make sure you get enough rest after every workout, and eat nutritious meals.
- Take a rest: Exercising can be addictive, especially when you start to see results. Take one or two days to let your muscles heal. If you are a fitness junkie and want to cheat on a rest day, try low impact routines. It's advisable to just take a break on a rest day to prevent injuries and repair worn-out muscles.
- Find what works for you: With trainers everywhere online and offline with different routines, it's easy to get confused on how many reps to do per exercise or what equipment is best to achieve the desired result, or the number of times to work out per week. How then can you decide what's best for you? You can tell when your body is experiencing a breakdown, you should reduce your workout days and routine till you get it right. Ignoring your body's warning signs is the fastest way to get an injury.
- Have a self-care ritual: Stretching and Warm-ups are a great way to prevent injuries. It helps to prepare the muscles by easing tightness and promoting blood flow throughout the joints, increasing heart rate and temperature before exercise. After exercise, it's important to bring your heart rate back to normal, so ensure to do cooling-off exercise. Always begin your workout routines with stretches and end with stretches.
What to do if you already have workout injuries that won't go?
Physiotherapy consultant Osahon Okodugha of St. Joseph's physiotherapy clinics in Lekki and Surulere, emphasizes on the effects physiotherapy has on workout injuries. "Ignoring the pain and hoping it will go away can lead to long-term degenerative conditions such as arthritis", he said.
You should visit a physiotherapist if you notice that your injuries have persisted for quite some time.
How can physical therapy help with my workout injuries?
St. Joseph physiotherapy Clinic is experienced in the treatment of workout-related injuries. Whether the injuries are old or new, they have the best approaches to helping with your condition which include; conditioned exercise for sprain and muscles release, joint tissue mobilization, cervical and lumbar traction, ultrasound therapy, TENS and shockwave therapy. If you are a fitness enthusiast, and would like to see a physiotherapist about your work out injury, feel free to visit St Joseph's Physiotherapy clinic at www.StJosephsPhysio.com or call us on 09060960109.
