Injuries and pain in Fitness

Main

Pain and injuries in fitness are signs that your body is under stress, either from challenging exercises or from overuse and improper form. When you exercise, you put stress on your muscles, bones, and connective tissues. This causes microscopic damage, inflammation, and adaptation. Some pain and soreness is normal and even necessary for your body to grow stronger. But too much stress leads to injuries.

The main types of pain and injuries in fitness are:

• Acute muscle soreness: Burning pain during exercise from lactic acid buildup. Stops when you stop exercising.

• Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS): Achy pain and stiffness 1-2 days after a hard workout, especially with new exercises. Caused by microtears in muscles. A sign your muscles are adapting and rebuilding stronger.

• Chronic injuries: Develop slowly over time from repetitive overuse or imbalances. Common examples are tendonitis, stress fractures, and joint pain. Often have a nagging, persistent pain even at rest.

• Acute injuries: Sudden injuries like muscle strains, ligament sprains, and broken bones. Caused by overstretching, overloading, or trauma. Pain is often sharp and severe. Swelling and limited range of motion are common.

To tell the difference: DOMS feels achy and tight, but loosens up with light movement. Acute soreness burns during exercise but fades after. Injuries tend to throb or ache even at rest, often with swelling and limited range of motion. Severe pain or pain that lasts more than 1-2 weeks could be a sign of injury.

Terms

• Acute muscle soreness: Burning pain felt in muscles during intense exercise, caused by metabolite buildup. Resolves quickly after stopping.

• Adaptation: The body's response to exercise stress, where it rebuilds tissues back stronger to better handle future challenges.

• Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS): Pain and stiffness felt 1-2 days after strenuous exercise, especially with new movements. Caused by microtears in muscles and connective tissues.

• Inflammation: The body's protective response to tissue damage, where blood flow increases to deliver healing nutrients and remove damaged cell debris. Causes swelling, redness, and pain.

• Lactic acid: A metabolite that builds up in muscles during high-intensity anaerobic exercise, contributing to acute muscle soreness and fatigue.

• Muscle strain: An injury where muscle fibers are torn due to overstretching or overloading. Causes sharp pain and may limit range of motion.

• Stress: The physical challenges and demands placed on the body during exercise. Needed in moderation to stimulate adaptation, but harmful in excess.

Analogy

Think of your body like a construction site. When you exercise, it's like tearing down old buildings to put up newer, stronger ones. The microscopic damage to your muscles is like demolishing the old structures. The inflammation is like clearing away the debris to make room for the new construction. DOMS is like the soreness the construction crew feels after a hard day's work. And your muscles rebuilding stronger is like erecting an upgraded building that can withstand greater stress. But trying to build too much, too fast leads to injuries - like a building collapsing from shoddy construction.

Misconception

Many people think more pain equals a better workout. They believe if they aren't extremely sore the next day, they didn't work hard enough. But pain shouldn't be used to judge a workout's effectiveness. Chasing pain can actually do more harm than good.

For example, someone might think they need to train to failure every set to grow muscle. But this just causes excessive muscle damage and prolongs recovery time. They'd be better off leaving a rep or two in the tank so they can train hard again sooner. Constantly pushing through pain also raises injury risk.

History

1. Ancient Greece (circa 800 BC): Athletes in the ancient Olympic Games often suffered from overuse injuries due to intense training and competition.

2. 1902: The term "delayed onset muscle soreness" was first coined by Theodore Hough to describe the pain felt after unaccustomed exercise.

3. 1960s-1970s: Exercise physiology research began to uncover the mechanisms behind muscle soreness and adaptation to training.

4. 1980s: The concept of "no pain, no gain" became popular in the fitness industry, leading many people to believe that extreme soreness was necessary for progress.

5. 1990s-2000s: Advancements in sports medicine and exercise science led to a better understanding of injury prevention and safe training practices. More emphasis was placed on proper form, gradual progression, and recovery.

6. Present day: While some fitness enthusiasts still chase pain, there is a growing awareness that excessive soreness and pain are counterproductive and increase injury risk. Many trainers now prioritize safe, sustainable progress over short-term intensity.

Every system in the body requires stress for optimal health. Think of the cardiovascular system, the musculoskeletal system, the endocrine system, even the psychological system. It needs stress to create adaptation for robustness. But you cannot cross what's known as the tipping point, because if you do, you start building cumulative trauma of some form, whether it's emotional trauma psychologically, or it's cumulative stress at the tissue level, at the level of the cell. So we have to talk about those tipping points. We've got to define where they are, try and expand them, adapt them, but don't cross them.

Stuart McGill, PhD, a distinguished professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo

How to use it

1. Learn proper form for each exercise. Poor technique is a major cause of injuries. If an exercise hurts, stop and check your form.

2. Progress gradually. Increase weight, sets, or reps slowly over time. Jumps that are too large are a shock to your system. Change exercises periodically to avoid overuse injuries from repetitive motions.

3. Warm up before and cool down after workouts. Warm-ups prepare your body for exercise by gradually increasing blood flow and muscle temperature. Light aerobic exercise after training helps remove metabolites and reduce soreness.

Facts

• DOMS is worst after eccentric exercises, where muscles lengthen under tension - like lowering weights or running downhill.

• Compression garments may reduce DOMS by constricting muscles and reducing inflammation.

• Muscles can take up to two weeks to fully heal and adapt after a hard strength training session.

• Active recovery - light exercise like walking or cycling - may help reduce DOMS by increasing blood flow.

• Drinking tart cherry juice before and after workouts may decrease muscle pain and speed up strength recovery.