Weightlifting Injuries: Overview

Studies have shown that the injury incidences in weightlifting are 2.3 to 3.3 injuries per 1000 hours of training; however, the injury rate in powerlifting training is 1.0 to 4.4 per 1000 hours. Weightlifting is one of the healthy activities and comes with a number of health benefits. For example;

• Regular weightlifting helps strengthen your bones, muscles, and joints.
• Regular weightlifting helps reduce the chances of the injuries
• Regular weightlifting helps improve the heart health
• Regular weightlifting helps increase your energy level
• Regular weightlifting helps provide better flexibility mobility
• Regular weightlifting helps enhance your brain health
• Regular weightlifting helps burn calories efficiently
• Regular weightlifting helps decrease abdominal fat
• Regular weightlifting helps manage your blood sugar level
• Regular weightlifting helps boost your self-esteem and mood

When lifting weight properly, you can indeed get all these mentioned benefits. However, sometimes, weightlifting comes with serious injuries to your upper and lower extremities. The injuries only occur when you do not perform the weightlifting techniques properly. However, there are some other factors contributing to the chances of injuries. This article is a detailed account of the most common weightlifting injuries. As well as this, we have also discussed all the preventive measures suggested by the professional trainers or healthcare professionals, helping avoid the risk of injuries.

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Common Weightlifting injuries

The following are the most common injuries resulting from weightlifting and other workout activities:

1. Disc herniation

Disc herniation is one of the most common problems or injuries in weightlifting. The injury happens when the soft disc centred between two vertebrae in the spine is pushed outward. When the protruding disc goes under too much pressure, it may result in rapture.

Improper lifting techniques usually result in a herniated disc. A herniated disc may result in back pain along with a tingling sensation and numbness in your legs. Continuing training with poor lifting techniques or mechanics may worsen your condition, and lifters may also develop degenerative disc disease.

How to prevent disc herniation in weightlifting?

Weightlifting professionals and trainers suggest some preventive measures helping avoid the chances of a herniated disc during weightlifting:

• Core workouts
• During lifting weight, try to bend your hips, not your back
• Keep your back straight during lifting weight
• Ensure that your hip and shoulders are aligned
• Always keep the lifting objects close to your body
• Learn all the techniques from professionals
• Keep your lifestyle healthy

2. Shoulder tendinitis or bursitis

Weightlifting, under certain conditions, may damage your shoulder and results in some serious injuries, including shoulder tendinitis or bursitis. Strenuous exercise or improper exercise can injure the tendons (that attach muscles to the bones) in the shoulders. When you leave damaged tendons untreated or when the tendons do not heal properly, lifters are at a high risk of further shoulder injuries. The additional injuries may result in shoulder bursitis or issues with the rotator cuffs.

Lifters may feel pain when shoulder bursitis occurs. As well as this, you may also feel stiffness, swelling, painful range of motion, and sharp or pinching pain with overhead shoulder movements.

How to prevent shoulder tendinitis or bursitis in weightlifting?

You need to follow the given preventive measures to keep yourself safe from overuse shoulder injuries during weightlifting:

• Warm up your body before lifting weight
• Show controlled movements
• Lift the low weight with higher reps for toning
• Lift the high weight with low reps, helping muscle building
• Keep chest up and elbows forward
• Take frequent breaks
• Wear shoulder support braces to avoid overuse injuries

3. Achilles tendinitis

Achilles tendinitis is a condition when lifters feel pain in the back of their heel and the areas where Achilles tendons are located. The injury to Achilles’ tendons is common among runners and those involved in weight-bearing exercises with their legs. If left the pain untreated, the Achilles tendinitis may worsen quickly.

The most common cause of Achilles tendinitis is the repetitive or intense strain on the Achilles tendons. These tendons usually help you during walking, running, jumping, and other movements. The most common symptoms of Achilles tendinitis may include pain and stiffness along with the Achilles tendons in the morning. You may also feel pain along with the tendons or back of the heel that may worsen with activities. As well as this, thickening of the tendons and bone spurs are other symptoms weightlifters may experience.

How to prevent Achilles tendinitis in weightlifting?

Professional workout and weightlifting trainers suggest the given preventive measures to help keep the Achilles tendons safe and injury-free:

• Strengthen your calves
• Improve your ankle flexibility before weightlifting
• Never forget to warm up your body before lifting weight
• Address your gait mechanics
• Wear weightlifting ankle supports to help prevent injuries

4. Wrist tendinitis

Lifting heavy weight repeatedly can put wrist tendons under strain, causing wrist tendinitis. As well as this, over-gripping weights and simply overworking the tendons may also result in wrist tendinitis.

Pain is the basic symptom associated with wrist tendinitis. The condition may also result in swelling and weakness. You may feel weakness when pinching, gripping, and lifting weight.

How to prevent wrist tendinitis in weightlifting?

The given preventive measures may help you avoid the chances of wrist pain during or after lifting weight:

• Maintain your strength
• Use your wrist in the most stable potions
• Warm up your body muscles and joints
• Regular stretching exercises help keep your muscles flexible
• Take frequent breaks during your weightlifting session
• Wear wrist braces to provide additional support to your wrists

5. Elbow tendinitis

The most common cause of elbow pain during or after weightlifting is improper bicep curls. Every time you feel pain inside your elbow or outside your elbow, it results from the wrong bicep curl form. Moreover, when performing chest, triceps, and shoulder exercises, you can put extra pressure on your elbows, putting your elbows at higher risk of overuse injuries.

Pain inside or outside the elbow is the most common symptom of elbow tendinitis. As well as this, weightlifters may also experience stiffness, weakness, swelling, and a reduced range of motion.

How to prevent elbow tendinitis in weightlifting?

You have to adopt the given preventive measures to reduce the chances of elbow pain during or after weightlifting:

• Warm up your body properly before exercising
• Engage in proper weightlifting form
• Avoid using excessive weight
• Avoid repeating the same arm-stressing practises at every workout
• Wear elbow supports or sleeves for additional support

Conclusion

All these mentioned injuries are common in weightlifting and other workout activities. However, adopting the given preventive measures will surely help you get a safe weightlifting experience. Wearing body supports and braces is the most effective preventive measure suggested by professional weightlifting or workout trainers. 360 relief provides you with a variety of weightlifting or workout supports to get a safe weightlifting or workout experience.