Going to the gym is a great way to support both your physical and mental health. However, this worthwhile habit can do more harm than good if you are not properly prepared. Common gym injuries can happen to anyone who works out, no matter their level of fitness or experience with exercise.
In this article we cover ten common gym injuries and how to prevent them so you can get the most out of your workout and stay safe while you train.
Pulled Muscles or Strains
A pulled or strained muscle occurs when there is stretching or tearing of the tissue that connects muscle to bone. An injury like this can be caused by lifting an object that is too heavy, lifting with improper form, or lifting too much without giving your body time to rest. People with a pulled or strained muscle may experience pain, swelling, muscle spasms, and a limited range of motion at the site of the injury. Mild strains often improve within a couple of weeks, while more significant tears can take much longer and may require a doctor’s evaluation to rule out a complete rupture.
Sprained Ankles
Sprained ankles are considered common, and they can happen anywhere, even while you are not exercising. A sprain occurs when you twist, roll, or turn your ankle in an unnatural way. This motion puts stress on the ligaments holding the ankle bones together, causing pain, swelling, and immobility. Depending on the severity, healing from a severe ankle sprain can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.
Tendinitis
Tendinitis is inflammation of the tendons, meaning it can occur anywhere there is a tendon in the body. This condition frequently impacts the areas surrounding joints, most commonly the shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and heels. As the tendons become inflamed, patients often notice tenderness in the affected area.
Tennis Elbow and Other Specific Types
Tendinitis takes on a more specific name depending on where it shows up. Inflammation in the elbow, for example, is often classified as tennis elbow, and understanding its typical recovery timeline can help you set realistic expectations if you develop this particular type of tendinitis at the gym.
Shoulder Injuries
Shoulder injuries can occur in the gym when lifting heavy weights overhead. Repetitive overhead activity can cause an overuse injury to the rotator cuff, which involves tears in the surrounding tendons. Patients with shoulder injuries may experience recurring pain during certain activities, a crackling or popping sensation, limited mobility, and muscle weakness. Because the shoulder relies on a complex group of muscles and tendons to stay stable, even a minor tear can noticeably affect strength and range of motion.
Groin Injuries
Groin injuries can be caused by overusing the muscles on the inner side of the thigh. Exercises like squatting or lunging can irritate the muscles surrounding the groin area. Depending on the cause, you may experience pain, a feeling of pressure, swelling, muscle spasms, bruising, weakness, and limited mobility, and these injuries can be slow to heal if you return to the same movements before the tissue has fully recovered.
Wrist Injuries
Wrist injuries at the gym can include sprains, tears, fractures, breaks, and dislocations. Symptoms vary depending on the cause, but pain symptoms generally include severe or worsening pain, swelling, tenderness, and bruising. Wrist injuries often show up during heavy pressing movements or falls onto an outstretched hand, and a wrist that continues to feel unstable after the initial pain fades is worth having examined.
Shin Splints
Shin splints are one of the most common injuries characterized by pain along the front portion of the lower legs. They can be caused by overuse or a sudden increase in the intensity of an activity, usually jumping or running on a treadmill or other high impact surface. Symptoms include tenderness, soreness, and mild swelling along the shin.
Why Shin Splints Creep Up Gradually
Unlike a sprain or strain that happens in a single moment, shin splints tend to build slowly over repeated sessions. Knowing what a realistic recovery timeline looks like can help you decide whether to scale back your training now or push through and risk a longer recovery later.
Knee Injuries
Knee injuries at the gym can include sprains, ligament tears, fractures, dislocations, and other soft tissue injuries. They are often caused by exercises such as leg extensions, squats performed with improper form, treadmill running, and other repetitive movements that place stress on the knee.
What Makes Knee Injuries Tricky
Knee injuries can affect several different structures, making it difficult to identify the exact cause without a medical evaluation. Common symptoms include:
- Swelling: Fluid buildup around the joint after an injury.
- Stiffness: Difficulty bending or straightening the knee.
- Redness or warmth: Signs of inflammation around the injured area.
- Instability: A feeling that the knee is giving way or cannot support your weight.
- Popping or grinding sensations: Clicking, crunching, or popping noises during movement.
- Limited mobility: Pain or swelling that makes walking, bending, or bearing weight difficult.
Back Injuries
Back injuries at the gym range from mild to severe and can include strains, bulging or herniated discs, and even fractures. These injuries are often caused by putting undue pressure on the muscles supporting the spine, performing exercises without proper posture, or attempting to lift too much weight.
Protecting Your Spine During Lifts
Symptoms of a back injury can include pain, tenderness, stiffness, muscle spasms, bruising, swelling, and trouble moving or standing. Keeping your core engaged and your spine in a neutral position during heavy lifts goes a long way toward preventing the kind of strain that leads to these symptoms in the first place.
Equipment-Related Injuries
Both severe and minor injuries can result from accidents involving gym equipment. Machines at the gym are heavy and involve many moving parts, which means there is real potential to break a bone or sustain another injury if you drop, fall off of, or trip over equipment while using it. Taking a moment to check that equipment is set up correctly before you start can prevent many of these accidents entirely, and reporting damaged or malfunctioning equipment to gym staff protects the next person who uses it too.
How to Avoid Common Gym Injuries
Protect yourself from common workout injuries by following these simple habits:
- Check with your doctor: Before starting a new exercise program, make sure you’re healthy enough for the activities you plan to do.
- Warm up and cool down: Begin each workout with light cardio or dynamic stretching, and finish with stretching and hydration to aid recovery.
- Increase intensity gradually: Build strength and endurance over time instead of making sudden jumps in weight, distance, or workout intensity.
- Listen to your body: Stop exercising if you experience sharp pain, dizziness, or unusual discomfort, and allow your body time to recover.
- Practice proper form: Use controlled movements, maintain good posture, and learn the correct technique for each exercise and machine.
- Prioritize rest and recovery: Schedule rest days and give worked muscles enough time to recover before training them again.
Get Help From Village Emergency Centers
For common gym injuries and all the other emergencies life brings, you can find the care you deserve and the peace of mind you need at your Village.
If you are near League City, walk in anytime or reach out ahead of your visit so we can prepare for your arrival.
Village Emergency Center is open 24 hours a day, every day, ready to help you get back to your routine as quickly and safely as possible.
