The root cause of most training injuries–whether it is training for a race, weightlifting, practicing sports, etc–isn’t usually due to not having the strength, but due to your body not being ready for the move yet. Typically, injuries happen due to mobility issues. For some this might mean you need to incorporate stretching, for some this might mean you need more than just stretching and for some this might mean needing a training plan and not overtraining the body.
It is important to understand what your body is capable of and really make sure your progress is slow and steady (be like the tortoise and not the hare).
3 Common Training Injuries and How to Avoid Them –
Rolled Ankle
Rolled ankles can be pretty common with people that are just starting out with running.
How to prevent a rolled ankle –
Chances are you have pour ankle mobility. A way to test this is by using a wall. Start by placing your foot flat on the ground a few inches from the wall. With your hands on the wall, drive your knee in as slowly as you can while allowing it to come in as far as you can. If your knee doesn’t go over your toe while your heel remains flat then you most likely have poor ankle mobility. If this is the case, you can now turn this test into a great way to increase your mobility. Try working this movement into your warm-up by doing about 10 repetitions with each ankle.
Back Pain, Specifically Low Back
These type of injuries can come with a lot of exercises that aren’t performed well or a lack of core strength and hip flexibility.
How to prevent low back pain –
A great way to prevent low back pain is to make sure that you move well. Just don’t lift something heavy to lift something heavy. You really have to leave your ego at the door to make sure you don’t try to jump in too quick.
If your hips aren’t moving the way they’re supposed to be moving, your lower back is going to take the hit. For example, if you’re deadlifting your hips can’t get to the range of motion that is needed, there is a high chance that your back is feeling the strain. Additionally, if your back is weak, then chances are your core isn’t strong enough.
Ways to prevent your low back from talking to you is work on your hip flexibility like doing single-leg deadlifts. You might find that one hip is tighter than the other. Also, practicing planks are great to strengthen the core. Just be sure that when you are planking to engage your core, squeeze your glutes and engage your thighs. You should find a plank challenging after 30 seconds.
Shoulder Pain
Most likely when someone has shoulder pain it has to do with the rotator cuff. A lot of this is due to working on computers and using phones.
How to prevent shoulder pain –
First, test your shoulder mobility. To do so stand with your back to a wall. Place your arms out to the side with bent elbows with your hands near your head. Slowly move your hands up overhead, while keeping your arms, back, and elbows on the wall. If you can’t move high enough for your hands to touch overhead without needing to pull your arms or back off of the wall then you have bad shoulder mobility. Practicing this can help you increase mobility but you can also practice some PVC pass-throughs. These are an exercise that is used a lot in CrossFit warms-ups since a lot of moves in CrossFit require good shoulder mobility.
