So you have finally decided to do something about your fitness! You get to the closest gym near you and start your exercises! Next thing you know you are doing these so called functional training workouts which are meant to be more “functional” than lifting weights in the gym. You are feeling great and you decide to increase your intensity. As soon as you up the weights and increase the speed, you hear a ‘Pop!’ in your shoulder or knee or back! Sounds familiar?

The number of injuries we see in people doing these high intensity workouts is alarming! Now I don’t mean to scare you but you need to be aware of what damage these exercises can do to your joints, muscles and tendons!

fitness, weight loss, cross training, boot camp, Physio

Here are the 5 most common injuries you should be aware of while exercising!

  1. Shoulder Pain: 

This is quite a common injury seen in heavy bench pressers. Also men usually like to work on their chest a lot more than their back which can create an imbalance of the muscles. Repetitive overhead movements of the shoulder while doing high intensity exercises can cause swelling of the muscle attachments called tendons. This in turn causes pain and inability to do the movement correctly.

  1. Knee pain:

Repeated squatting or bending the knee past right angles can irritate the tendon causing swelling and pain. Increasing the weights too quickly can also irritate the cushioning in the joint causing pain.

  1. Neck pain:

Lifting both arms above the head puts tremendous pressure on the joints and muscles of the neck. Doing this movement repeatedly as an exercise will strain the joints of the neck. This further leads to swelling of the joints and tightens up the muscles causing pain.

  1. Lower back pain:

Deadlifts and squats are the most common way people hurt their backs in the gym! Progressing too quickly with weights or not taking care of the form will lead to this. The pain can occur immediately or slowly over a period of weeks /months.

  1. Elbow pain

Again, a common injury in body builders. Poor form while doing exercises or doing explosive movements rather than slow can lead to overuse of the elbow muscles.