It is a known fact that weight training related injuries are on the rise. This is only natural considering the fact that more people are attempting to remain fit now.
The Report in Brief
The report concerning the rise of weight training injuries that published recently (April 16, 2010) is based on Center for Injury Research. Quite a large number of large number of injuries had also been discovered by the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
This study of weight-related increases accounts for cases that occurred from 1990s to 2007. This is a time during which a 50 percent increase in injuries took place.
The largest portion of these injury increases was reported in men ages 13 to 24. Usually it was while using free weights and the majority of these were sprains and strains.
Other injuries included these: Upper body injuries, lower trunk pain, soft tissue injuries, and hand injuries. It should be noted though that even though most of the injuries that occurred in young people 18 to 24 the largest increase in incidences actually took place in people 45 and older.
The reason the older people would get hurt is because they would over-exert themselves. This often is a result of too much lifting and pulling.
There of course is an increase in women participants in weight training too. However, not as much information has yet been provided about female weight trainers.
This is only a short segment of information provided in a report about this issue. Additional information can be found in “Weight Training-Related Injuries Increasing.”
This next section is not taken from the same source as the above information about injuries. This is rather a collection of fitness safety tips related to weight training collected from a variety of publications.
There are a variety of reasons why injuries occur. This is a short list of tips based on those varying causes:
Illegal steroids-One main cause of weight training injuries is the use of anabolic steroids. People use them to obtain gains in strength and muscle. However, using steroids is illegal and can lead to torn muscles, tendons, or ligaments. These should NOT be used.
Inadequate warm-up-Another reason that injuries occur is because of not warming up properly. It is highly recommended that you stretch all the major muscles in your legs, arms, back, and abdomen before proceeding.
Inappropriate age-Sometimes adolescents who have not had their muscles fully developed can hurt themselves. Therefore, they should be under close supervision in case of injury. They should limit their weight lifting activity until after reaching puberty.
Improper technique-Sometimes people injure themselves while not using the weights the way they should be used. They also may not handle the weights the way they should be handled. Bouncing, jerking, or throwing them is a very bad idea. Sometimes a person can also extend his/her back in a way he/she should not either, or extending it too often can be dangerous.
Dangerous exercises-Sometimes there are exercises you may have been taught that are not safe. For instance, pull-downs behind the neck can put excessive stress on the neck and shoulders. In this particular case, front/lat pull-downs are recommended instead.