Exercise Injury and Recovery

There are basically two types of exercise injury: acute and chronic. An acute injury occurs suddenly. A sudden snap, pop or crack occurs in your knee while running. A sharp pain spreads through your lower back. A finger, wrist or elbow gets stiff. These are all examples of acute exercise injuries. A chronic injury, on the other hand, occurs when an exercise activity is being done incorrectly or if an exercise is being done with poor equipment. According to the Cleveland Clinic, chronic injuries are generally due to “low-grade, abnormal force being applied repeatedly over a long period of time.” In other words, we can cause chronic injury to our bodies by exercising with poor form, equipment or terrain.

Acute injuries

When an acute injury occurs, usually there is sudden, often significant pain, swelling, tenderness, movement limitation, an extreme feeling of weakness, or a bone or joint that is obviously out of its normal location. When this happens, stop exercising immediately. Instead, go home and use the R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) method to treat the injury.

This treatment will effectively deal with most minor exercise injuries. However, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease, if you experience more severe symptoms such as “severe pain, swelling or numbness,” you need to contact a doctor. “Never try to ‘work through’ the pain of a sports injury.” The agency says you should also contact your doctor if you cannot put weight on the affected area or if a joint does not feel “right” or is unstable. For more information on treating most sports injuries, read more here.

Chronic Injuries

The Mayo Clinic calls chronic injuries “overuse injuries.” These types of injury, including tendinitis and stress fractures, are caused by repetitive trauma. The clinic says overuse injuries can often be attributed to training errors in which a person takes on too much too soon, goes too fast for his or her fitness level, or just exercises too much.

Technique errors can also cause chronic injuries. “Improper technique also can take its toll on your body. If you use poor form as you do a set of strength training exercises, like swinging a golf club or throwing a baseball, for example, you may overload certain muscles and cause an overuse injury.” Chronic injuries occur after years of playing a sport or exercising. Signs of chronic injury include pain when you do a specific activity, pain when you exercise, a dull ache when you rest, and swelling.

Chronic injuries become more common as you age and or if you have underlying medical conditions. To avoid overuse injuries in any exercise or sport, always take the following steps:

• Use appropriate gear and proper form
• Increase your activity gradually
• Pace yourself
• Vary your workouts to train as many muscles as possible

Treatment of sport and exercise injuries. For non-acute injuries, your doctor may prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication known as NSAIDS, such as aspirin or ibuprofen. You may also be told to rest and immobilize the injured limb. In some cases of acute or chronic sports injuries, surgery may be indicated, but not in most cases. For more information on NSAID use, check out this site.

Generally, most cases of exercise injury can be treated with rest, rehabilitation and NSAIDS. But if you must have surgery for an acute or chronic exercise injury, there are increasingly effective, less invasive surgical procedures to fix these injuries, including arthroscopy and tissue engineering.

The federal government sponsors extensive research into healing sports injuries. Check out this link on new therapies available to treat sports injuries.

What can you do to minimize injury risk? The following tips are recommended by the Mayo Clinic Staff:

• Don’t try to fit a week’s worth of exercise into the weekend. Exercise should be done 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week or 45 minutes a day, 3 to 4 days a week.
• Learn and practice proper form. This is essential to minimize chronic injuries.
• Use safe gear. For runners: running shoes should be replaced every 200 to 400 miles and you should run on the softest terrain possible.
• Be aware of your limits. If you are just starting out with sports or exercise, see your doctor first.
• Gradually build your fitness level.
• Ensure a “total” body workout. Target all muscles groups in your exercise program. Weakness in one area can lead to injury in other areas.

Most exercise injuries are minimal and can be treated with the R.I.C.E method of rest, ice, compression and elevation. If this doesn’t solve your pain, it might be time to contact your doctor.

Ramona Fortanbary is a Northern Virginia-based freelance writer and editor. Ramona has served as a writer in many industries. She has been a newspaper editor, corporate communications manager and public affairs specialist and senior writer-editor for the U.S. government. Ramona has studied at Chapman and Harvard universities. Her interests include fitness, reading, traveling and volunteer work. Ramona currently serves on the board of Heart Marks Art Therapy, a 501(c)(3) organization offering free art therapy sessions to at risk segments of our society.

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