As you strive to reach your ultimate physique, it is common you will experience in injury of some kind.  Trying to constantly push yourself beyond your physical limitations is strenuous on the body.  Injuries can occur in a variety of places; in the muscle, at the muscle/tendon junction, along a tendon, at the tendon/bone attachment, in a ligament or at a joint.  The weakest point along the musculoskeletal system is where injuries are most likely to occur.

Sometimes injuries are minor and you barely take notice of them, they are more nagging then anything.  Perhaps you have a chronic pain in your elbow that has developed from overuse.  Other injuries can be more serious that occurs during an acute episode, by attempting a very heavy lift.  These may require the attention of a physician.

It is important to understand how to prevent injuries, such as practicing a proper warm-up and stretching before each workout.  Warming up raises the temperature of the muscles involved and allows them to contract with greater force.  Stretching lengthens the entire muscle/tendon complex so that when the structure is suddenly stretched during exercise movements the risk of damage is reduced.

Using proper exercise execution is vital in injury prevention.  If you are only concerned about lifting the weight through whatever form it takes, you are subjecting yourself to injury. Strive to increase your poundage at the gym, but within the boundaries of using good form. It is not about getting the weight from point A to point B.  Success in developing your physique is based on muscle action.

Injuries can still occur despite taking precautions, though they are less likely.  If you do experience a type of injury, it is important to know how to treat, rehabilitate and work around them.  Maintaining good health should be of top priority and is crucial in making continual progress in the gym.

INJURIES

There are several different classifications of injuries that can be associated with weight training.  Strains of the muscle and tendon, connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone, regions are quite common.  They are often referred to as muscle “pulls”.  Overworking these structures can cause damage to occur.  This is due to the overstretching of the muscle or tendon when the force applied is stronger than the structure’s ability to withstand stress.

If the force or overstretching is strong enough, it can actually partially or completely tear the muscle or tendon.  Tears are the most painful among injuries.   They can occur at the muscle fibers, at the muscle tendon juncture, in the tendon or where the tendon attaches to bone. Swelling is more severe and there is more pain and discomfort with muscle/tendon tears.

Typical symptoms of a strain include; localized pain, inflammation, stiffness and bruising around the strained muscle.  Lower back strains can be common, due to overstressing the area.  Your lower back is indirectly used in several exercises and it is important not to let it round over or hyperextend it throughout movements.  Sometimes the spinal erectors will go into spasm to prevent further injury.

Muscle spasms or cramps are sudden, involuntary contractions of the muscle.  It is another sign of strain as the result of fatigue and overuse.  Most spasms last only a few minutes and then cease, they can be harmless or painful.  The spasm is a protective reflex that guards the muscle against further motion until it is recovered.

Tendonitis is the inflammation of tendons.  This often occurs at the elbow, knee or where the lower bicep meets the forearm.  It is due to microscopic tears within the collagen matrix, which gradually weakens the tissue.  Pain and discomfort may occur only with motion or may be constant and be present even at rest.

Sprains are similar to strains as they are caused by overstretching, but they occur at the ligaments and joints.  Ligaments are connective tissue that joins one bone to another.  The ligament is overpowered by the amount of resistance it is working against.  The site of the injury is the area of the least resistance.  Overstretching or twisting of ligaments can lead to a tear or even complete rupture of these structures.

Heavy squats subject the knees to heavy loads and can lead to knee sprains or tearing of the meniscus (cartilaginous structure inside the knee).  It is important to follow a thorough warm -up before squatting heavy and focus on proper exercise technique.  Be sure to keep your toes in front of your knees while squatting to take stress of the knee, never let your knee go past the toe during any movement.

Avulsion fractures is a bone fracture that occurs when a small piece of bone tears away from the main mass of bone.  This can occur at the ligament or at the tendon due to a muscular contraction that is stronger than the forces holding the bone together.  This usually only occurs in highly trained athletes, where they overcome the neurological inhibition of strength and are capable of avulsing a bone by producing a much greater force output.  Smaller fractures can be treated, but in more severe cases surgery may be required.

Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa, a small sac of synovial fluid, within a joint.  They act to protect and lubricate the joint, allowing muscles and tendons to slide across bone smoothly.  When bursitis occurs, usually in the shoulders, elbows or knees, movement becomes rough and painful.  It is causes by repetitive movement or a traumatic injury.

It is important to listen to your body.  Pain is an indication that an area has been injured. There is no such thing as “training through” an injury.  It is true that an anti-inflammatory can help reduce pain, but it does not cure the underlying cause.  If you continue to train a weakened area, you will only prolong the recovery and it may lead to something more serious that could even require surgery.  What could have taken a week or two to recover from now takes months or even years.

TREATMENT

Many people fail to rest an injured area, they fear they will “shrink” and the mental anguish from not being able to train can be frustrating.  It is imperative you take the time to allow your body to completely recover.  Your body functioning at the optimal level is essential in developing your dream body.  It is okay to suffer setbacks, everyone has at one point.

If you do experience an injury, first and foremost avoid any exercises that cause pain.  There is no such thing as working past an injury, you will only delay the recovery process and may even make the injury worse.  A generalized treatment to follow to help speed up the healing process is termed R.I.C.E.  Rest, ice, compression and elevation will help promote recovery.

Rest: Stop all activities which cause pain to the injured area and protect it against further injury.  For a mild strain, this may be the only treatment necessary until the area has recovered.  Without rest, continual strain is placed on the area, leading to increased pain, inflammation, and possibly furthering the injury.  There is also a risk of abnormal repair from failure to rest.  A good guideline to follow is to rest until the pain is essentially gone and the majority of the function in the injured area is restored.

Ice:  Apply ice to the area several (five or six) times a day for 15-20 minutes at a time.  Be sure to protect the skin and have some kind of barrier, such as a thin towel, wrapped over the ice.  The application of ice reduces the inflammation response to an injury and speeds up the healing process.  Ice reduces the blood flow to the area by promoting vasoconstriction, but should only be used the first 24-48 hours after an injury.

Compression:  Wrap the strained or sprained area to reduce hemorrhaging and swelling.  An elastic bandage should be used for this purpose.  The fit should be snug, but still allow for some expansion for when the muscles contract and fill with blood.

Elevation:  Keep the injured area as close to the level of the heart as is conveniently possible.  When the area is immobilized, you can prop the area up on a pillow.  This helps to reduce swelling and aid in waste product removal, by increasing venous return (blood flow back to the heart).

Muscles have a good blood supply and can heal fairly rapidly.  Tendons, ligament and joints have a poorer blood supply and can take much longer to heal.  The RICE treatment can be used for the first two days after an injury occurs and then it is best to use heat therapy.

Heat increases blood supply to an injured area by promoting vasodilation.  This allows for nutrient delivery and waste removal to aid in the recovery process.  Moist heat can be applied to the area after 48 hours, a hot pack or Jacuzzi are good forms of heat therapy.

You should consult with your physician or healthcare professional to make an accurate diagnosis of your injury.  More serious injuries, such as complete muscle tears, may require surgery by an orthopedic surgeon.  I believe this should be a last resort, I suggest trying alternative treatments before undergoing surgery.  Chiropractic manipulation can be beneficial in healing musculoskeletal ailments.  Other therapy methods include; massage therapy, ultrasound, acupuncture and acupressure, electrotherapy, and hydrotherapy.

Your healthcare professional may want to administer a corticosteroid (cortisone) injection. This is used to treat inflammation, therefore reducing pain and discomfort.  Anti- inflammatory drugs, such as cortisone and Ibuprofen, can help with pain relief and reduce swelling.  These drugs can mask the pain and make you feel as if you are healed.  However, while these drugs can help to promote recovery, it is still important to allow sufficient time to rest the injured area.

TRAINING WITH AN INJURY

Be patient and do not try and rush the recuperation process.  In the case of a mild strain, you may still be able to train the area as long as you engage in a good warm up and stretching session.  Start off slowly and let your body get back into the correct groove patterns for an exercise.  You can often find a different way to maintain size and strength in an injured area by using other exercises.  This allows you to continue to train a sprained or strained area without making the injury worse.

If you have a rotator cuff injury, for instance, you may not be able to perform heavy pressing movements.  However, doing flying motions (such as dumbbell flyes) may not irritate the injury.  This allows you to still train the pectorals at some degree until the injury has healed sufficiently.  If you have a bicep tendon injury changing your hand position or using an EZ bar can sometimes work.  Hammer curls with your thumb up may take stress off the injured area.  Listen to your body and let feel be your guide.

Sometimes it is not possible to train around an injury and you may have to rest the muscle group all together.  Just be patient and do not try and train through an injury.  This can lead to permanent damage.  Your body has a great ability to recover, you would be surprised how quickly the body can come back from an injury.  Avoid movements that aggravate the weakened area.

Overtraining is often the cause of injuries.  Your body gets overstressed and worn down if you train too frequently and do not allow for enough rest between workouts.  Problems can also build slowly with people who have trained hard for years.  Older people do not have the recuperation powers as younger people do and cannot bounce back from an injury as quickly.  As you get older, you may change your training style a little.  The training methods you used when you were younger may result in an injury after years of strain on the body.

Nutrition is essential to recuperation.  This will give you the materials necessary for your body to rebuild itself.  Sleep is another important factor that can help speed recovery.  Make sure you are getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night.  Supplementation can also aid in recovery.  Essential fatty acids and glucosamine, for example, can accelerate joint recovery.