Those who exercise too hard or simply don’t exercise in the proper manner are setting themselves up for a potential injury down the line. To get the most out of a workout, one needs to understand the various types of injury which may typically spring up and how to avoid those situations. A new report from a Fort Myers, Florida-based exercise physiologist offers some tips that would be valuable to athletes at all levels.
One of the big overuse injuries that you’ll want to watch out for is shin splints, which are the bane of many an athlete new to running or whatever activity they’re taking part in. As the author explains, what’s basically happening is that the muscles in the area of the shin are becoming inflamed and causing severe pain.
People who push themselves too hard right off the bat are often the recipients of this kind of damage. The human body simply isn’t equipped to handle an extreme workload after a long time off from an activity, and inflammation and other damage is the result. Compounding matters is a pair of shoes that don’t fit right or that don’t offer enough support to the runner’s feet. Take things easy and invest in a comfortable, supportive pair of shoes to avoid splints.
Runners who push themselves too hard too fast are also in danger of incurring runner’s knee. Rather than the inflammation in the area of the shin that marks the onset of shin splints, this condition will involve inflammation of the iliotibial band that runs from the hip bone to the shin. This inflammation manifests as pain all around the knee that typically gets worse the longer one runs or when a person attempts to flex the joint.
Preventing this condition will hinge on running on better surfaces. Try to stick to a level path and avoid roads, as they actually tend to have a bit of an angle that can put more pressure on one knee than the other. Like shin splints, you can also reduce the risk of this injury by taking things easy at the outset of an exercise regimen.
The other big problem areas for a lot of runners is the achilles tendon, which can fall prey to tendonitis if one isn’t careful. At first, the runner might experience a dull pain that they’re able to push through. As such, they might avoid getting medical help. Unfortunately, the injury is only going to be exacerbated when one continues to put unnecessary pressure on the tendon. If your tendon ever hurts, take a rest and consider consulting with a physical trainer who can explain the proper course of restorative action.
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