Many of us give ourselves a “free pass” during the holidays, and get out of our normal routines. Now that the holidays are behind us, we find ourselves trying to get back to the grind of a regular workout routine. In many ways, this is a wonderful thing, as it makes us healthier both physically and mentally! However, it is very important to ease back into a workout routine rather than pushing too hard right off the bat, and ending up with injuries as a result.
Overuse injuries are quite common, especially when beginning a new workout routine, or ramping up a current workout routine.
Overuse injuries are defined as “any type of muscle or joint injury, such as tendonitis or a stress fracture that is caused by repetitive trauma.”
There are a number of different reasons why overuse injuries occur. The first is as a result of training errors, which typically happen as a result of taking on too much too soon, exercising for too long, or focusing too much on one activity rather than maintaining variety in the workout routine. As motivated as we are all feeling with the start of a new year, it is important to remember to be smart about ramping up activity appropriately, rather than overdoing it, which can potentially cause an injury.
The second reason overuse injuries occur is due to errors in technique. Doing exercises improperly can cause you to overload certain muscles, rather than distributing the load over a group of muscles, causing injury to the overloaded muscle(s).
Now that we’ve discussed all of the reasons why overuse injuries happen, let’s talk about how to prevent them!
First and foremost, address any existing medical conditions. These may be current issues, or past issues that can creep up and cause a problem once you begin increasing your activity level. It is important that your muscles and joints are healthy, with good range of motion and flexibility before beginning a new exercise routine.
Secondly, use proper form. If you have questions, ASK! You are better off consulting a professional regarding whether your form is correct than to continue with improper form and injure yourself.
Lastly, don’t rush it. Warm up and cool down are just as important as the time in between. A quick, but effective way to prepare for activity, is a 5-7 minute dynamic warm up. Also, spread your workouts out through the week. Rather than working out aggressively two days in a row, spread it over 4-5 days in order to avoid overworking your muscles, leading to fatigue and injury.
None of these are reasons not to get back into physical activity, so don’t use this as your “get out of jail free card!” Use these guidelines to get back into a routine slowly and properly in order to avoid injury, and do not hesitate to contact me at Erica@JointVenturesPT.com with questions along the way!
Have a happy and healthy NEW YEAR!