How to Avoid Annoying Muscle and Joint Pain When Lifting

By Randy Burkline, contributing author

Individuals who are interested in weightlifting and muscle building usually complain of joint pain. Walk into any gym and you are bound to hear at least one person talking about pain in the knee, shoulder, or elbow. While these joint pains are unavoidable, it is also true that they will reduce the efficiency of your muscle building training.

Reasons for Muscle and Joint Pains

Once you have a joint or muscle pain, it usually takes a while to be cured. However, what triggers these pains and aches could be something quite simple. For instance, forgetting to warm up before exercising is one of the main reasons of the 'ooh', 'aahs' and 'ouches' you hear during muscle building. Other reasons include:

Different Muscle & Joint Problems

Body builders encounter various kinds of muscle and joint problems. Out of these some are more common than the others. Let's look at the more common muscle and joint problems faced by them.

Tendonitis - The muscles of your body are connected to the bones by tendons, which are tough, yet flexible. Sometimes, if overused, the tendons can become inflamed. A lot of trainers ignore the pain experienced in tendonitis, believing that they can work through it. Doing so can cause far more serious and longer lasting problems.

Arthritis - Arthritis manifests itself in various forms and the one that afflicts body builders is osteoarthritis. Wear and tear of the joints can cause the cartilage to deteriorate. It can develop into a case of chronic osteoarthritis if ignored or left untreated. In severe cases there is such sharp pain that it can immobilize a bodybuilder.

Bursitis - Bursae are tiny sacks located in our joints that are full of fluid. The function of the bursae is to act as a cushion of the muscles and joints and protect them from friction. If these sacks become inflamed or injured, they can lead to chronic pain, also known as bursitis.

Other problems that bodybuilders can face are fascia injuries, ligament injuries, and sprains or muscle tears.

The R.I.C.E. Method

If, at any point of time, you experience muscle or joint pains, inflammation, or swelling, you should adopt the R.I.C.E. method. If used in time, it can speed up the healing process, and reduce the damage. R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate.

Rest - Do not continue over exerting your body if you feel any pain. The moment you are hurt, you should drop the weights and rest the affected area.

Ice - A simple looking ice pack on the injured area works wonders. Put some ice cubes in a towel and place it on the injured area for about 20 minutes. Repeat, three or four times a day.

Compress - Compress the injury by wrapping it up in a bandage that is not tight, but just snug.

Elevate - Place the limb at an elevation, by resting it on a pillow. This will help to reduce the swelling.

 

 

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