Though we have the best of intentions when we exercise, conditioning our body for better health and mobility, unfortunately, we find ourselves at the mercy of our chiropractor, helping us deal with minor and major injuries caused by our favourite activities. While exercise is essential, injury prevention is a must. In this article, we share the common mistakes unravelling your exercise journey, demonstrating the small adjustments to make to avoid irreparable damage to your body.
Neglecting the warm-up
Preparing your body for exercise is imperative, especially for injury prevention. Starting your workout with gentle exercise, increasing the intensity, is best, as this elevates the heart rate and blood flow to the joints and muscles. Warm-ups are especially necessary for people who experience joint stiffness, as working out cold can cause significant pain to an already inflamed area.
Improper form
Spinal alignment and good posture are fundamental to working out correctly. Whether it be when weight training, stretching or during cardiovascular activity, the position of the neck and spine need to be correctly aligned to ensure any injury. In the case of heavy lifting, poor posture can cause instant lower back pain and injuries, putting pressure on the discs and nerves around the joints, primarily when rounding or jerking movement occurs. Complex exercises, such as squatting and deadlifting, aren’t best for everyone; those with shoulder pain, neck stiffness and alike injuries will find these exercises pain-inducing, especially if undertaken unsupervised.
The wrong footwear
During exercise, balance and stability begin at the base of your body, and being dressed in the right footwear helps establish the base you need. Wearing shoes that don’t support the ankles and arches properly can induce simple injuries, such as falling over or tripping on unstable ground. Walking and running can be problematic with insufficient footwear also; leg and ankle pain sufferers can have their condition worsened simply from inadequate cushioning during basics movements.
Neglecting stretching and recovery
Recovery is easily one of the most neglected parts of the exercise program, usually due to the additional energy required to push through. However, recovery is an essential component of injury prevention, as it helps muscles and joints bounce back after strenuous activity. Recovery isn’t just immediate stretching or heat and ice application; it includes massages and visits to your chiropractor to help keep your musculoskeletal system in line.
Have you recently injured yourself during exercise, or are you looking to increase your activity level safely? Contact us at MyChiro to discuss your needs, and discover how we can help you train safely today!
Photo: Free image by Pixabay
