Pay Attention to Pain and Soreness
By Chad Tackett, President of GHF
When any workout or specific exercise causes you pain, pay attention. Knowing
how to react can help you avoid a serious injury. Physical training can cause
several types of pain including:
Muscle Soreness
When you use muscles you have not used for a while or try a new exercise or
training technique, it is normal to feel a dull ache of soreness in the muscles
that were trained. This pain is caused by microscopic tears in the fibers of the
connective tissues in your body--the ligaments that connect bones to other
bones, and the tendons that connect muscles to bones.
This microtrauma may sound harmful but is in fact the natural response of
your muscles when they experience work. This is the primary reason it is so
important that you get enough rest between specific muscle workouts. Each time
you work out with weights, you cause this "damage"--these tiny tears in your
muscles; they need ample resting time to rebuild and become even stronger,
bigger, and more firm. Massage can help reduce
this rebuilding time.
Pain During or Just After a Workout
During a workout, repeated contractions cause lactic and other acids, as well as
proteins and hormones, to build up in muscle tissue. This can cause pain even
without injury. One of the primary
effects massage is to remove these acids and other byproducts of strenuous
activity. But if you experience a sharp, continuous pain, or pain
accompanied by a burning sensation, stop lifting and get it checked.
Cramps
These happen when muscles, often in the calves or feet, knot up in intense
contractions. Cramps occur most commonly in endurance sports like cycling and
running, where the athlete loses a lot of fluids through sweating. This is why
it's very important to stay well-hydrated during exercise. If you do get cramps,
the best way to stop them is to gently stretch the cramped muscle.
Injury
When working out with weights you need to be in full control of both the weights
and your own body as it lifts and uses the weights. Careless weightlifting can
result in injury. Not warming up, attempting to lift too heavy a weight, using
momentum or jerky movements, letting the weights drop, not using correct form,
or forgetting to stretch or cool-down after your workout can indeed result in
injury.
The following injuries can occur as a result of carelessness:
- Tendonitis: This is inflammation of the tendon and can occur if you begin
your first set with too heavy a weight and/or are not properly warmed-up. Rest
is the best treatment for this painful injury.
- Fascia injuries: Can occur if you suddenly jerk or pull the weight. Fascia
is basically the packaging tissue of muscle. When fascia is torn, it becomes
inflamed and the pain is severe. The injury should be treated with
cold packs
and wrapped with an ace bandage.
- Ligament injuries: Can occur when people use momentum and jerk the weight
to accomplish a lift. This injury is treated by using cold packs and rest.
- Sprains or muscle tears: Are uncommon if you warm-up, stretch, and
cool-down properly and implement the safety precautions and principles we
teach.
Any time you do have inflammation or swelling, use the R.I.C.E method of
reducing damage and speeding healing. For injuries, R.I.C.E. is nice.
- Rest: When you are hurt, stop your workout immediately and take weight off
the affected area.
- Ice: Wrap ice (or our
flaxseed pillows instead) in a towel and hold it against the injury for 10
to 20 minutes, three or four times a day until the acute injury diminishes.
- Compress: Wrap the injured area in a snug, but not tight, elastic bandage.
- Elevate: Raise the injured limb and rest it on a pillow to reduce
swelling.
Strength training provides many important benefits that cannot be achieved by
any other exercise or activity. However, when enjoying this great form of
exercise, be sure to pay attention to pain and soreness so that your program is
not only effective, but safe as well. Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the
wonderful benefits of a safe and effective strength training program.
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