What Are the Most Frequent Injuries Suffered by Weightlifters? How Can They Be Avoided?
Lifting weights can be a great way to stay strong and fit. Combined with a regular cardio workout and healthy eating habits, it can also be a highly effective way to manage your weight. It’s also, unfortunately, an activity that can pose a significant risk of injury. Let’s look at the common injuries suffered by weightlifters, why they occur, and what steps can be taken to avoid or minimize their impact.
What Injuries Are Most Frequently Suffered by Weightlifters?
Some weightlifting injuries can be serious, such as broken bones, but those types of injuries are rare. The most common maladies reported by weightlifters include the following:
- Back strains, muscle pulls, and disc problems—Many weightlifting routines put a lot of stress on your back. If you have poor lifting mechanics, such as bending at the waist instead of the knees, you can easily herniate a disc. Even if you lift correctly, you can experience degenerative disc disease as a result of wear and tear. To minimize the risk, make certain you have a “neutral” spine when lifting. That means holding your back exactly as you would when standing against a wall.
- Patellar tendinitis or other knee problems—Knees are another area of the body that gets the brunt of a weightlifting workout. Repeated squatting, bending, and thrusting at the knees can put undue stress on tendons, ligaments, and meniscus (cartilage in the knee). To minimize the risk of a torn meniscus, inflamed patellar tendon (just below the kneecap), or damaged ACL, make certain that your knees are straight above the second toe on each foot when you lift.
- Lateral elbow tendinitis, also known as “tennis elbow”—That’s right, weightlifters can get tennis elbow. It typically stems from gripping weights too tightly and shows up as sharp pain on the outside of the elbow. It also causes tightness when straightening out the arm or pulling the hand toward the body. To avoid or reduce the risk of tennis elbow, start your workout with gripping exercises, so that you warm up your body as you build grip strength. Pushups can also promote wrist flexibility.
- IT band inflammation or syndrome—Your IT (iliotibial) band runs up and down the side of your thigh and can easily get inflamed from squats or other lifting exercises. To minimize injury, keep your toes and knees in alignment, particularly when you are doing single leg lifts.
- Tendinitis in the Achilles heel—When you overwork the muscles in your feet and strain your Achilles tendon, you may find it difficult to stand or walk. Regular stretching can make a big difference, but the best way to avoid injury is to integrate a jump rope into your training regimen.
