BENGALURU: As you walk into any gym in Bengaluru, you will see regular folks with unspectacular abilities and very average genetics, training like high-level athletes. They are neither gifted for it nor do they have proper coaching to employ these protocols. Experts agree that this has led to a spectacular rise in the number of gym injuries in the city in the last two years.
Dr Thirumalesh K Reddy, Senior Consultant - Joint Replacement & Arthroscopic Surgery, Aster CMI Hospital, receives 3-4 patients in the age-group of 18-35 with gym injuries every day.
Twenty-five-year-old Ambareeksh Pradeep has been a gym enthusiast for three years, but encountered a shoulder dislocation last year which took a huge toll on him. “Once you encounter any serious physical injury, all the hard work done in the gym everyday goes to waste due to bed-rest. And it takes a while to recover and get back on track,” he says.
Initially, the number of gym injuries used to be two-three cases per month, according to Dr Saril V S, Senior Manager Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation, Sakra World Hospital. “The injuries was limited within ligament tears, but now shoulder injuries are the most common. We receive consultations for the next six months to ensure they have recovered completely before hitting the gym again,” he says.
Most regular gym-goers are known to train themselves to keep a fit body or to tone or strengthen their muscles. However, there are people who go beyond their endurance levels by ego-lifting — wherein one tries to compete with another to show-off his gym skills.
“What people need to understand is that one’s ability varies from person to person and these kind of stunts can lead to the worst,” says Ambareeksh. In some cases, goals for the day keep on increasing from the previous training, which also adds pressure to the body. “That is exactly what happened to me. I thought I could handle it while doing a barbell pullover exercise,” he says.
A Manipal Hospitals study cites the case of a 38-year-old woman who was obese and wanted to lose weight quickly. In just two weeks, she increased her treadmill runs from one kilometre to five kilometres. She developed pain in the right shin bone and then could not perform a task as simple as walking.
An MRI scan revealed a stress fracture and her leg had to be put in a cast for about six weeks. It took nine months for her to recover and resume training.
Another study at the hospital cites the case of a 45-year-old man who was diagnosed with diabetes and was required to lose weight. He joined a gym and hired a personal trainer. After three weeks he was feeling good as he had lost some weight. “He started using lot of weights in his workouts and then got a sharp pain in the shoulder which caused him to drop the weights. He was diagnosed with muscular tear of rotator cuff muscle and had to undergo physio for three months, but the pain persisted. Finally, he had to undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair the muscular tear. He finally improved his condition and is now able to resume normal life,” says Dr Hemant Kalyan, HOD & Consultant in Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Manipal Hospitals.
Some common types of injuries are muscle, tendon, and ligament injuries. But injuries like shoulder dislocation or a complete rotor cuff tear may require surgical interventions. Milder injuries could be treated with just physiotherapy.
According to Dr Chirag Thonse, orthopaedic surgeon, and a specialist in arthroscopy, sports injuries and
joint replacement surgeries, HOD, Fortis Hospital, the increase in gym injuries is because of an increase in the number of fitness centres as well as an increase in the number of fitness fanatics. This has made it difficult for gym trainers to train the burgeoning community.
“We do advice and help them on techniques and give them beginner’s training when they join the gym, but some people do not find us approachable,” says Mann Singh, a gym trainer who shifted to Bengaluru six months ago. “The major problem is that people expect immediate results which is not possible. It takes time and hard work,” he adds.
In an attempt to achieve quick results, Dr Hemant Kalyan of Manipal Hospitals says, “Gym-goers are under the impression that if there is no pain, there will be no gain. While it is important to challenge oneself to improve one’s own performance, pushing oneself to the point of pain usually results in an overuse injury and needs a prolonged break from the gym for recovery.
“On the other hand, those gym-goers who listen to their body signals and make gradual increases in their exercise intensity and duration, are more likely to achieve sustained benefits from their exercise program,” he adds.
REASONS FOR INJURY:
1. Need to do exercise in progression.
2. Bad posture/ technique of exercise
3. Lack of knowledge on the protocols
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CONSEQUENCES OF INJURY:
-Reset of training
-Cost of surgery
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FACTS TO BE REMEMBERED BEFORE TRAINING:
1. The pressure exerted should be put on the muscles and not the joints.
2. Warm-up: A good warm-up session of around 20 minutes prepares the body for physical activity, loosening the joints, stretching the muscles and increases blood flow to muscles. It also helps elevate the heart rate. Performing explosive strength exercises like sprints without adequate warm ups may lead to injury.
3. Steady-paced training is best preferred.
4. Cross train: Cross training helps improve one’s efficiency, power and stamina. This in turn lowers the chance of injury, and helps in rehabilitation post injury. It has been demonstrated that a person with an injury like a hamstring strain, would benefit more from regular low intensity cross training as compared to completely refraining from activity.
5. Adequate vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates are necessary
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WHAT SHOULD BE DONE:
1. Personal trainers should be made more accessible
2. Gym-goers should be willing to learn from trainers
3. Gym safety equipments must be used while lifting heavy weights, like lifting belts, lumbar support belts, wrist wraps, etc.
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Box:
According to Mann (gym-trainer),
1. Not enough trainers at the gym
2. Some gym-goers are too shy to approach trainers
3. Basic classes should be made compulsory for beginners