I have been exercising for more than two decades...
I have experienced all of the pains you can think about when it comes to weight lifting, from back, shoulder, knee, forearm, elbow, foot, neck; null, sharp, continuous, acute, you name it. I have never injured myself in the gym to the point that I need to see a doctor, knee surgery or physical therapy.
However, I have hurt myself in the gym to the point that I can barely walk or have had pains that last over eight months. These events have motivated me to study more about exercise injuries. I have studied a couple of courses about injuries and pain and all these courses give the same advice and agree with my philosophy.
Injuries stop many people from exercising and reaching their weight loss goals. But I think more than the injury, the fear of permanently hurting a body part is the real reason and I don’t blame anyone for that. No one wants to be chronically injured.
My goal is to give you ideas of pain that you experience when you are active and what to do about it…
Muscle triggers
Muscle triggers are also known by muscle knots. The muscles become contracted because they are usually working to compensate for an imbalance. These muscle triggers don’t happen suddenly. These are an accumulation of the many times that the muscle works trying to compensate for an imbalance.
They usually happen on your lower back, upper back, middle back, trapezius (shoulders), and forearms. They are so painful that it’s difficult to move the area affected.
For example, when it happens on the lower back, it is difficult to be seated, lying down, or walking. Any movement brings an exaggerated pain to the lower back. In the shoulder or middle back, you can barely move the neck to any side. In the forearm, iti is difficult to move the arm and even grab things.
This pain is continuous and is intense in the beginning...
It can take you a few days up to 8 months to alleviate this pain depending on treatment you follow and the severity of the tightness.
The best thing you can do to avoid these to happen, it’s to make sure you work your body in a balance. Make sure your exercises are done with good form and the body is not using more of a group of muscles to compensate for other groups of muscles.
To fix the problem and alleviate the pain, you need to massage the trigger point, stretch it, relax it and recover by being active and use the muscle with less intensity than you usually do. Train the muscle to be used properly.
Muscle tightness
Muscle tightness is just simply that. Tightness. Knees, the “sciatic”, foot pain and some lower back pains are signs of tightness…
Your body gets tight by use. If you are physically active by exercising, at work, sports, or any other activity, your muscles will become tight and muscles will be tight by the joints. Most elderly people are in pain, not because they are old but because they become tight.
To avoid this pain just have a stretching routine incorporated in your life. And to fix and alleviate this pain, also have a stretching routine in your life.
Serious Injuries
I believe all injuries are serious, but some of them you can just take care of by a lifestyle and time will just heal them.
But there are some injuries that you may want to see a professional and ask for help…
A broken bone, a dislocation, and tendons and ligament sprains are some examples. It is difficult for you to dislocate, break a bone or sprain a ligament or tendon when exercising unless you are not using your body correctly. However, if this happens, it is important to seek professional help to fix the problem.
They are also meniscus tears and disc herniations. For these injuries it is also recommended to seek professional help to fix the problem and alleviate the pain.
Based on my research and experience, it is difficult to have a serious injury when you are exercising correctly. Most injuries that you are going to experience in the weight room are muscle triggers and muscle tightness.
Many times our members come to me and tell me about their pain. They want to know if it's okay for them to continue exercising. Of course, they are concerned about getting hurt and I understand that, but like I mentioned before, I believe the fear of getting injured stops people from giving their best in their exercise routine.
Ninety nine percent of the pain our members have is nothing else than muscle triggers and tightness. So I usually respond that they are going to be okay. I give them the treatment to follow and advise them to continue exercise to make the healing faster and not to stop progressing in their weight lifting.
However if I suspect that it is a serious injury, I ask them to seek professional treatment...
There you have have some pains that you make experience when you are active. Don’t let any pain scare you from being active. Make sure you know what is bothering you and proceed accordingly, but it is not a good idea to only guess and stop your exercise because of it. Take care of the pain and injury and continue with your program.