Common Exercise Injuries and How to Avoid Them

Regardless of how fit you are, no one is immune to exercise injuries. From leg injuries to lower back strains, you can do all kinds of damage to your body when working out.

You’ll need to take time off if you hurt yourself, so injury prevention is key to meeting your fitness goals. If you’re trying to stay healthy but still want to go hard at the gym, there are plenty of steps you can take to protect yourself.

In this article, we’ll explore the most common exercise injuries and the best ways to avoid them.

Sprained Ankle

Sprained ankles are one of the most common leg injuries in the world. All it takes is a small slip-up and in no time at all your ankle will be turning black and blue. This injury occurs when the muscles and ligaments in your ankle are stretched beyond their usual range of movement, causing strains and tears.

Depending on how badly you’ve rolled your ankle, recovery time can range from a few weeks to several months. Stretching before and after you exercise will help loosen up your ankles, making them likely to roll to one side. If you’ve had issues with rolling your ankles before, always tape them before exercising.

Shin Splints

Every runner’s worst nightmare, shin splints arise when the tendons and muscles around your tibia become inflamed. The pain is usually most severe along the inside of the tibia bone, where it connects to the muscle. This injury is caused by repetitive leg exercises, such as running.

You’ll need plenty of rest to recover from shin splints. Once the pain has subsided and you’re eager to start exercising gain, be sure to take it easy or you could reaggravate the injury. Want to know how to avoid shin splints in the first place? If you’re a runner, increase the intensity of your workouts gradually so your shins have time to adjust. Ice and supportive shoes may also help.

Lower Back Strain

Lower back strains are common among people who lift weights without using proper technique. When done properly, weightlifting is great for toning your muscles and building endurance. However, if you don’t know what you’re doing or you try and lift more than you can handle, you could do serious damage to your back.

To avoid straining your lower back, be sure to ask a fitness professional to show you proper lifting technique. And instead of chasing a new personal best every workout, try and gradually build your strength.

To learn more about injury prevention when working out, check out our expert stretching tips or check out more articles on our blog.