Chapter 3 – Common Injuries
Posted on 11. Mar, 2010 by Becky in UVU Online Curriculum
If you are careful about warming up, wear decent shoes, and don’t try to impress classmates with your athletic prowess, injuries from aerobics are unlikely.
Most injuries come from either failing to warm up properly, working out barefoot (once trendy, but now we know better), or overextending oneself in a misguided effort to get fit faster than is reasonable.
If you always warm up properly but still experience pain or discomfort in your feet, legs, back or neck, you should speak with your instructor.
It may be that you need to back off in intensity, or that you’re performing some of the exercises incorrectly, causing strain in the various parts of your body that are being wronged.
Everyone has weak places in the body, especially people over the age of thirty, and aerobics may remind you of those old football or ballet injuries. Cartilage may crackle, tendons may grow tender as injuries from your past are reawakened. If you have pain in your feet, knees or hips, check your shoes with an expert athletic-shoe salesperson. If you don’t discover something in your shoes that can remedy the situation, you may need to see your doctor for an evaluation: osteoarthritis causes joint pain, as does rheumatoid arthritis. Old, forgotten injuries may become sites of irritation. You may have shin splints or nerve pain. Or you may just have some sensitivity that doesn’t tolerate aerobics well: some joints do not take kindly to being bounced upon day after day.
If you are injured during aerobics, you may decide to switch to water aerobics either until the injury is healed or for good. It is extremely difficult to get hurt in water aerobics, but you can derive all the benefits of aerobics without bearing weight.
The most common aerobics injuries are related to muscle strains. If you feel like you’ve pulled a muscle, use RICE to speed you on your way to recovery. First, give the injury rest: don’t exercise it the next day. Use ice to reduce the swelling. Reducing the swelling also tends to alleviate pain. Ice the area for ten to fifteen minutes every couple of hours for the next 24-48 hours. Compression is also useful: it supports the affected joint and eases pain. Elevation is the final part of the RICE acronym: put your foot or leg up whenever you can, with a pillow underneath if that’s more comfortable.
If you overdo it and the pain doesn’t go away in a few days, get thee to a doctor. Don’t expect your instructor to diagnose your injury: by law, aerobics instructors aren’t allowed to do more than give the most basic advice (usually RICE). Most of the time, you’ll have strained a muscle or overworked a joint, but it is possible to create conditions that your body will react to by developing a chronic condition that can cause you a lot of trouble if it isn’t caught right away. Nip injuries in the bud, give the acute ones plenty of recovery time, and take the stubborn ones to your doctor for advice.
Aerobic Mom Newsletter!
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Alicia Washburn
13. Sep, 2010
During exercises I have experienced knee problems and afterwards I’m never the same. I need to be very careful with all my movements.
It’s very difficult for me because I love to climb mountains. The ascent is wonderful but the descent is terribly painful. Usually it takes more time to descend than to climb up.
No matter what, I keep trying and I always find a way to make it but, generally I have to walk very weirdly trying to avoid the pain.
My rehabilitation takes a little while, I try to not move too much, I sleep with my legs up and I feel better again after a few days.
Becky
13. Sep, 2010
It is so important to be aware of your body and its limitations. While many of us want to “push it” and overextend ourselves, it just isn’t worth the long-term damage we can inflict on our bodies. Be mindful in class and always be confident that you know your own body and work at your own pace! Thanks for your comments Alicia!
Chelsea Larsen
15. Sep, 2010
I played tennis in high school, and I saw a lot of injuries on my team and on other teams just because of the lack of warming up. I actually hurt my back and couldn’t serve for awhile so I could heal quicker. It is annoying, but I definitely learned my lesson and stretched a lot before practice and matches.
brenda sanjuan
17. Sep, 2010
This article is great because it helps me understand the importance of warming up before exercise. Doing so I can prevent future injuries in my life and have a more effective workout. Even though I have not had past injuries, I learned what I should do if I ever have an injury. I did not know that water aerobics can be a substitute for regular aerobics.
KyLynn James
28. Sep, 2010
Warming up is a great reminder especially when you are sore the next day :]
I learned what to do if I have an injury which I think will help alot in the future.
Becky
28. Sep, 2010
Actually, being sore the next day is more likely from failing to stretch out adequately after the workout, not before. Warming up is more important for avoiding problems during the workout–making sure your body acclimates to a higher level of intensity and your joints and muscles loosen up so you don’t pull or injure anything.
Tara Levi
20. Oct, 2010
I’ve never had a serious injury from working out, just the occasional sprain or bruise. however, I was wondering…..is it okay to run barefoot? When I was in high school on the track team our coaches made us run barefoot on the grass all the time because we could go faster- or at least that’s what they said. So I was just wondering…is that ok?
Becky
20. Oct, 2010
Right now there is a lot of conflicting research on that one. One side says that running barefoot is actually better for your legs & feet because your weight falls more naturally and activate your muscles more efficiently. Others feel that you’ll do best running with that supportive cushion. Personally I just cringe at the thought of stepping on a tack…
You certainly should feel free to try it out and see what feels best for you. Running barefoot is the trend these days!
Maria Torres
18. Nov, 2010
About two months ago I sprained my ankle at another Zumba class I take. I got to class ten minutes late and I didn’t warm-up enough. We were dancing a song that required you to jump and I landed on my left foot putting all my weight on it. It hurt really bad but I learned that no matter what you do you always have to warm-up to exercise safely. The Zumba instructor told me to follow the RICE procedures and that helped me with the swelling. Right now my ankle is doing much better and I returned to Zumba, but now I take all the precaution possible.
Becca Bjorkman
08. Dec, 2010
I have experienced not having the right shoes for aerobic workouts and boy did it feel good to buy a pair that relieved pressure in all the right places. It made aerobics fun again, instead of always focusing on how much my feet and legs were hurting. I also had never thought of switching to water aerobics while overcoming an injury! That is a brilliant idea! I seriously love all of your advice and insight!
Becky
08. Dec, 2010
I can always tell when my shoes are about to wear out…my knees and hamstrings start acting up. Good shoes really can ward off chronic injury! Thanks for your comments Becca!
Leslie
19. Jan, 2011
It’s been a long time since I have exercised regularly. But I do remember how good it feels to warm up, stretch, and cool down. I miss being so flexible. Part of my goal with your class is to regain some of that ease of movement and begin to feel like Gumby again!
I, too, feel that good shoes make a world of difference in how I feel at the end of a hard day of being on my feet at work or at the end of class. Thanks for this blog…………..
Amanda Barlow
20. Jan, 2011
I love the method of RICE because I have had injuries in the past where I have had to rest while icing & elevating my injury. The compression part I am a little confused of. Does that mean like wearing a brace or wrapping where you had your injury? During one of my soccer seasons as a kid I had to use a ankle brace after twisting my ankle in a ditch in a flag football game.
Another time I injured myself was during a basketball practice & i think I overextended my arm as I fell. It hurt to straighten my arm & even though my x-rays did not show any breaks or fractures they still wrapped my arm & had me wear a sling to hold it up. The next day in the middle of my classes I ran to the nurses office because my fingers had become swollen from the bandages being wrapped too tight. After loosening a few wraps they had me elevate my arm while icing it. The swelling went down & the coloring in my skin became normal a few minutes later. Is it possible to compress too much?
Becky
20. Jan, 2011
You definitely do not want to compress to the point that you’re cutting off circulation. Sounds like that was your problem!
Jerri
28. Jan, 2011
Thank you for reminding us how important it is to warm up before working out. It is easy to just run in from a busy morning and start working muscles we haven’t used and find later we have an injury.
Thankfully I have not injured anything so far, I will be more conscious of warm up from now on
Jen Meeks
03. Feb, 2011
Now that I am over 30 (ahhh) I definitely see things a different way. When I was younger I could work out or run on the spot with out a really good warm up or stretch and be fine most of the time. Now, not so fine. I usually like to get to class a little early and get some good stretching in before, but on Tuesday I was running really behind and didn’t get my stretching in. About half way into Zumba tone I felt my hamstring start tightening up and since then it is still bothering me. Even with all of the resting and Stretching I’ve been doing for the muscle, I still am really sore. My lesson has been learned, no matter what, stretch!
Kelley Harper
05. Apr, 2011
Most people probably think water aerobics are for old people but I think it’d be fun, injury or not. I think the school should get a pool and have aerobic classes in it!
Danielle Pringle
07. Apr, 2011
I absolutely love water aerobics. Unfortunately a lot of gyms around here do not offer them because there are never enough attendees to keep the class going. I attend water aerobics with my mom when I go home to visit her (yes, i’m the one 22 year old in a pool with men and women usually 60+ but boy is it entertaining- they have great stories!) I have had re-constructive foot surgery on both of my feet and as a result I can not put a lot of pressure on my feet. I can’t jump up and down or run for long periods of time, and pointing my toes for more than 3 minutes results in my foot tightening up and sending shooting pains up my entire leg. This has limited the physical activity I can do and how intense of a workout I can do. Therefore this post is quite relevant to my situation, stretching and proper footwear makes all the difference in any workout program.
Ariel Nelson
18. Apr, 2011
I have never done water aerobics before, but it would be an interesting experience to try it out! Since I have a hard time exercising on hard surfaces due to a knee and back injury, this would be a great non-weight bearing way to get some cardio in. Through some research I found out that the Orem Fitness Center offers different water aerobics classes, and they even have a new Aqua Zumba class! The only downside is that most of the water aerobic classes are in the morning. The schedule for aerobics and water aerobics held at the Orem Fitness Center can be found here: http://rec.orem.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=23
Becky
18. Apr, 2011
Thanks so much for sharing the helpful info for all of us Ariel!
Tabs
20. Apr, 2011
I love doing water aerobics! I use to play volleyball then my shoulder popped out. I couldn’t block or hit the ball as well as I did before due to my arm. I can honestly say that I didn’t stretch that well that day. But water aerobics is fun!
A common injury that a lot of people get is from wearing the wrong shoes. For instance I’m not going to wear my tennis shoes for a track meet, or wear my hiking shoes for volleyball. Personally believe that you break in the shoes to fit what ever activity you’re going to use it for.
Rose Grzybowski
21. Apr, 2011
For someone accident-prone like me, RICE is a good thing to know even when I’m not engaging in strenuous activity because for swelling that’s all there really is to do. I’ve strained my ankle several times repeatedly and was told not only to ice and elevate my leg, but also to incorporate strength exercises to help strengthen my ankle again. However, I never did the strength exercises and now suffer from my ankle giving out every once in a while. So being cautious is good, but listening to instruction you are given is important as well. Don’t assume you know your body better than an instructor or doctor!
@Li
01. Jul, 2011
If you get injured a lot when doing aerobics, maybe water aerobics is the way to go! Don’t Give Up
Ana Hastings
15. Jul, 2011
During the past semester I always warm up before Zumba and did not have any injuries. A proper warm up is very important. One of questions that I always ask myself when I have an injury is whether or not to use heat or cold. The RISE technique is something that I am going to try.
Maira Bardales
16. Jul, 2011
In this article I read how important it is to ALWAYS warm up before exercise to avoid being injured while exercising. Which is good, because who wants to be injured during a workout anyways? Its like taking a step back towards your goals!
Adriana Bardales
16. Jul, 2011
Warming up is very important. Especially that I am older now I can get injured easier and I sure wouldn’t want that to happen.
@Li
16. Jul, 2011
I learned the hard way, by not wearing my shoes when I worked out. ouch! From now on I’ll remember to bring those. Still agree with the water aerobics. I’ve been doing that the last few weeks, it’s great! and also a killer workout. And I can forget shoes
Jerri Kolb
06. Dec, 2011
I needed to read this article. I recently noticed that my knee is bothering me. I have been just ignoring it because I couldn’t remember injuring it. Feeling confused why i would be experiencing the discomfort I figured it would just go away eventually.
Just the other day we went over some of the possible injuries you can encounter with yoga and one of the poses was probably what did it. So now I will take it easy and hope that I have not done something permanent by ignoring it.
Marie Bradford
10. Dec, 2011
Where can I find an ‘expert athletic shoe sales person’? Are there some good places around here?
This is good to know; to prevent injury: wear good shoes, warm up properly, and don’t over exert.
In the event of injury, remember RICE: rest, ice it, compression, and elevation.
Becky
10. Dec, 2011
Runner’s Corner in Orem is a great running shoes store and they have a very attentive and knowledgeable staff that will have you try out the shoes and help you realize which will be the best fit for you. For regular crosstrainers (for Zumba or aerobics) I don’t know of a good local place. I buy off Zappos.com and read all their reviews to find the best shoes.