COMMON PHYSICAL INJURIES CAUSED BY FITNESS PRACTICES/ACTIVITIES

Ankita, Aditi, Ankana, Aalok, Anoop, Adira, Srikant, Vidya, Vineet, Vivek

Whatever your fitness goals, getting injured surely isn't one of them. But according to a study from the University of Arkansas, there has been a 35 percent increase in gym injuries in recent years.
Personal trainer Justin Price, who owns The Bio Mechanics, says there are two main reasons for workoutrelated injuries.

The first is poor posture during the day, which eventually weakens your entire musculoskeletal structure.
The other mistake is trying to do too much too fast, in both reps and weight.

EXPERT COMMENTS
"The problem that got you into the gym didn't happen overnight, so you can't undo it overnight," says Price, who co-authored the book The Idiots' Guide to Functional Training. Those 50 pounds can't be erased in one mega-marathon treadmill session. And popping blood vessels by overweighting the bench press isn't going to take you from Christian Bale in The Machinist to Christian Bale in Batman in one hard-core workout, says Robert Reams, Golds gym Fitness Institute Member and celebrity personal trainer.

"Think of working on your body as a third party. If you remove your ego from the situation you can be realistic about your goals," says Price.

MOST COMMON TYPE OF REPORTED INJURIES

11% 16%

8%

5% 36%

29%

32%

Bruising Muscle Strains Joint/Ligament Strain Bleeding Fractures Dislocations Knockouts

MOST COMMON INJURY SITES

13% 10% 15% 30% 32%

Ankle Knee Finger Head Other

STAKEHOLDERS
Gym Instructors/Trainers
Doctors/Physicians

Physiotherapists
Pharmaceutical Stores Yoga Instructors/Practitioners Fitness Expert (By Experience)

GYM INSTRUCTERS/TRAINERS
Types of Gym covered in Gandhinagar on the basis of monthly fees and facilities : Economy - Magnet Gym, Sector 16 ; Gymkhana, Sector 19 (Rs 100 -300) Moderate - Magnet Gym, Infocity ; Infocity Club Resort Gym, Infocity (Rs 300 1000) Expensive - Talwalkars, Sector 11 (Rs 2800)

What the trainers/instructors have to say

People dont listen to us and follow their own fitness regime. They ignore the warm-up sessions because they are always in a rush. They think that running faster and for more time will make them loose weight faster, people tend to lift weights more than their capacity because they want to build their body faster
Covered by: Ankita & Vineet

Our Observations The Male clients majorly focused on strength training while the cardio section was mostly occupied by the female clients. The treadmill users were found chit-chatting and watching television which diverted their concentration. The productive time for exercise was found to be very less. Mobile phone usage during exercise was other major distraction. People were trying to imitate their friends rather than consulting the trainer for the exercises. Most of the people were not appropriately dressed and were not wearing the proper shoes.
Covered by: Ankita & Vineet

DOCTORS/PHYSICIANS
Doctors/Physicians consulted : Dr Charulata Vaghela, Gandhinagar; Dr Jayan A.A, Kerela; Dr Shrilekha Dewakar, Kerela What the doctors/physicians have to say In teen agers the most of the sports injury cases comes during vacation time. In most of the cases in early stages of Fitness injuries people doesn't give much care and take pain killers to suppress the pain. Next after accidents the larger portion of orthopaedic patients are injured in sports/fitness activities. The time required for the curing of injury varies from person to person with respect to age. Injuries happen to elder people during fitness/sports activities is difficult to get 100% cured. No or improper use of safety gear also lead to these kind of injuries. Doctor Also said that 80% of these kind of injuries can be avoided if proper awareness is given and the precautions are taken accordingly.
Covered by: Anoop

PHYSIOTHERAPISTS
Physiotherapists interviewed: Dr Annamalai , Senior Physiotherapist, Apollo Hospital Gandhinagar Dr Hiren Patel & Dr Manisha Patel ,Private Practice , Ahmedabad What do they have to say Gym related and sports related injuries are completely different in term of rehabilitation. Fitness for sports includes pre-habilitation and rehabilitation. According to the sport practiced fitness is divided into six disciplines: o Strength(For sprinters) o Endurance(For marathon runners) o Flexibility(Gymnasts and Swimmers) o Core Stability o Balance and Co-ordination o Body composition
Covered by: Adira & Srikant

Most people in India consult orthopaedician and coaches in case of fitness injuries whereas physiotherapists need to be there to provide best help. Before going into fitness regime people dont take up initial fitness assessment which leads to injuries. Proper diet is not maintained during fitness regime which leads to stress and strain of muscles and eventually cause injury.

When initial injury happens patients dont consult professionals and try to self medicate leading to further serious problems.
For women and men, nature of injuries are different and the recovery procedure is also different, but people are mostly unaware of this fact. Consumption of steroids to boost athletic performance which leads to severe problems in future.

PHARMACEUTICAL STORES
Pharmaceutical Store visited: Krishna Medical , Sector 16, Gandhinagar Apollo Pharmacy , sector 16, Gandhinagar Hi- tech Hospital - Gandhinagar Thakkar Medicals, Infocity What do the pharmaceutical store owners have to say Medication forms to be taken in case of injury - Balms - Sprays and Bandages , joint supporters - Tablets and Capsules Classification of medicines - Antiseptics: to prevent growth of germs near cuts and wounds - Antipyretics: reducing fever in case of over exertion - Analgesics: reducing pain
Covered by: Ankana & Vidya

YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND PRACTITIONER

Yoga Instructor interviewed: Mrs Shyamala Syamaprasad, Gandhinagar Mr Rakesh TR, Gandhinagar Yoga Practitioners interviewed: Mrs Archana Sharma, Dibrugarh Mr B.M. Tiwari, Bhopal Common Injuries while practicing yoga: Back pain Neck pain Muscle Tear Breathing Problems

Covered by: Aditi & Aalok

What the Instructors and the practitioners have to say The most common reasons for the injuries are Overzealous students Inadequate training for teachers Poor technique Large classes leading to lack of individual attention Lack of proper surface Common Injuries caused by different Asanas (if not done properly):

Surya Namaskar: Back pain enhances Sarvangasana: Neck pain enhances Halasana: Neck Pain Paschimotanasana: Back pain Bhujangasana: Back pain Kapalbharti : Breathing problem which might lead to TB and in case of BP patients it can be fatal.
Covered by: Aditi & Aalok

FITNESS EXPERT(BY EXPERIENCE)

I interviewed Mrs Yasmin Narialwala, 67 years old lady from Ahmedabad. She is a working women who is very conscious about her health. She is an avid gym goer, and has acquired quite a lot of knowledge about fitness from her experience. About her fitness regime She has been going to the gym from the past 10 years. In her youth, she used to play hockey and do ballet dancing. Presently she does One and a half hour of gym and one hour of walking.

She does not believe in any kind of dieting and eats everything.

Covered by: Vivek

What is her opinion about injuries related to fitness For no doctor , one should follow the sequence of warm up stretchcool down. In beginning of every exercise it will pain but dont misunderstand it as No pain No gain. Concentrate on nutrition by eating five different colors of fruit and vegetables everyday. In pain, decrease the intensity of particular exercise. Continue any single exercise for three years and you can do it for lifetime. Know your limits and dont push yourself too much. Learn to breathe in the right way. If you gym in the evening you dont need to warm up much. Its all about your matters and not the kind of gym you are going. People are more inclined to going to the gym rather than exercising in the open.

Covered by: Vivek

PROBLEM STATEMENTS
Jumping up processes to save time
Improper/No warm- ups Mixing up two exercises Doing at a faster pace leading to exertion

Disobeying the Experts/professionals

Following their own fitness regime Trying to imitate friends and fellow gym mates Exercising at their own convenience

No use of safety gear

Not following proper dress codes Not wearing proper shoes and other accessories

Improper and faulty equipment

Not maintained equipment usage Improperly calibrated equipment

Lack of knowledge and awareness on fitness

Incomplete knowledge of fitness Myths and misconceptions on health Staunch belief on their own fitness fundas

Improper use of fitness supplements

Overdose of dietary supplements Intake of supplements to build up muscles faster Artificially reducing weight by ingesting medicines

Not consulting the right experts

Trying self medication in case of injury Taking friends advice instead of a professional Trying to suppress pain by taking pain killers

Not providing proper rest after exercise

No proper relaxation of muscles No gap between two strainers exercises