With the current state of the world, many people are turning to working out at home when they would normally go to the gym or attend workout classes. Exercise is extremely important for your physical and mental health but should be done safely and within your physical limitations. There are many ways to suffer an injury while working out, including having bad posture throughout the day or unsuccessfully attempting to recreate your gym’s equipment setup.
If you’re suffering from an injury, don’t settle with living with that pain forever. While we recommend making an appointment with us at OrthoManhattan to see a top Orthopedic Surgeon or New York Pain Specialist, we also want to share the top 4 types of injuries from working out at home and how to prevent them.
Foot and Ankle Injuries
With most people making do with what they have on hand at home, a lot of people are left without a real office to work at during the pandemic. Spending all day behind the computer at a desk or table with very little movement during the day causes people to hunch over and tighten their shoulders. With your shoulders rounded out all day, once you stand up you instantly put weight onto the front of your foot. This can cause unnecessary stress on the front part of your foot which may lead to issues in your foot and ankle when you jump straight into a workout (another reason it’s incredibly important to warm up!) We recommend looking for a tennis shoe without a very high heel to help redistribute the weight and impact to your foot. It’s also important to stretch and warm up your legs and ankles before trying anything strenuous.
Shoulder Injuries
Shoulder injuries are some of the most common injuries suffered while working out at home. With gym equipment selling out due to the pandemic, many people are using makeshift equipment to replicate what they would normally do – and end up hurting themselves in the process. Instead of trying to build your own parallel bars for dips or using two chairs to dip between, we suggest using a bench or long stable object to recreate your dips. By placing your hands on a solid object like a bench and doing your dips, you allow for stability and are able to keep yourself from an injury that could land you in the emergency room or a doctor’s office.
Lower Back Injuries
While lower back pain is no new issue for people who work out, it is even more common when working from home. People are walking around less during the day and sitting at a computer or in the same place for much longer.
To prevent having to see a New York pain specialist, always remember to stretch prior to working out (and after). It’s imperative that you make stretching your upper and lower back a priority before starting a workout after having been sedentary all day. A great and easy way to do this is to work wall sits into your workout early on. Be sure to place your back flat against the wall and stretch your arms out in front of you while focusing on keeping your lower back straightened. This will engage your back muscles and warm them up prior to any of your other strenuous exercises.
Knee Injuries
Last but definitely not least, one of the types of injuries we see too often from home workouts is to your knees. As working from home can lead to a more sedentary lifestyle which causes parts of your body, such as your hips, to not get much use throughout your day. So, if you try and begin a difficult workout right after sitting for hours, you can end up putting stress on your feet or hips, and when they inevitably aren’t strong enough to support you – all of the stress falls to your knees. A great way to strengthen your knees, hips and ankles at the same time is to incorporate lunges into your workout.
While exercise is essential for both your physical and mental health, it’s important that you know the most common injuries from working out at home and how to prevent them. As always, remember to stretch before and after a workout and try your best to do bodyweight workouts that won’t put additional stress on your body. And don’t forget to get up every hour or so to stretch and walk around during the day!
See A New York Pain Specialist
If you find yourself in the position where you’re already injured and are in need of a New York Pain Specialist, please don’t hesitate to contact us at OrthoManhattan. Either give us a call or submit a contact form in the top right corner of this page – appointments are available in-person as well as from the comfort of your own home via TeleVisit.