Staying Active Without Injury
As an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist (CHT), I love seeing people who are passionate about fitness. Exercise is one of the most health-promoting hobbies you can have. Research show that it strengthens your muscles, improves cardiovascular health, prevents disease, enhances coordination, boosts mood and can promote social connection. What’s not to love about doing something you enjoy that gives you a sense of accomplishment?
But like any physical activity, working out is not without risk.
In the clinic, over the years, I have met many well-intentioned individuals who injured themselves while pursuing fitness goals. The result of overdoing, sub-optimal form or repetitive activities? Sprains, strains, tendinitis and even soft tissue tears or fractures. Many injuries are preventable with awareness, proper technique, and balanced training.
Common causes I see include:
- Pushing through fatigue: Ignoring the body’s signals to rest can lead to overuse injuries. For example, someone might continue lifting heavy weights despite persistent elbow soreness, which can evolve into lateral epicondylitis, which is a condition that can linger for months and negatively impacts your ability to grip, lift and carry.
- Overtraining large muscle groups: I call these the “sexy exercises.” We are often attracted to doing things that allow us to lift more or work more vigorously. For example, we may be able to use heavy weights for dumb bell curls, but then need to use smaller (less attractive, less satisying) weights for elbow extensions. But focusing on one area, while under working other muscles creates imbalances that stress joints and tendons. For example, overdeveloped chest muscles without adequate back and scapular strength often leads to shoulder impingement, strain or neural tension that can lead to numbness and tingling in the hand. This overtraining is unintentional, the large muscle group becomes too strong for its own good. When the work out routine includes enjoyable push-ups, planking and bench pressing without focus on supporting muscles, the stage is set for injury or repetitive strain.
- Neglecting flexibility and mobility: Strength and aerobic conditioning are essential, and who doesn’t like to look at a high step count on a pedometer! But without flexibility in the work out routine, muscles and tendons become tight and prone to injury. An example is performing heavy bench presses without adequate chest and shoulder mobility work, which can strain the rotator cuff or lead to tendinitis. You do have time for weaving some flexibility into your routine!
- Pushing past limits for personal goals: Many clients admit they have ignored mild pain or discomfort to hit a PR, maintain streaks in a fitness app, or stick with a certain amount of weight even though the level of exertion feels too great, resulting in stress fractures, tendon tears, or joint sprains. Gaining that PR without listening to the body can sideline your goals.
- Faulty form or technique: Using momentum instead of controlled movement, locking joints, or working in hypermobile ranges is a frequent culprit. For example, moving with a fast tempo to finish the last few reps rather than moving slowly and stopping reps when the muscles feel fatigued can lead to poor form. The body is amazingly able to get the job done, even if the right muscles too tired to keep going. When this happens, trust me, good things do not occur when the mind pushes the body for task completion instead of recognizing that a limit has been hit.
The injuries I see most often include repetitive strain injuries, tendinitis, and even torn ligaments or tendons. I have seen fractures from slips and falls that may have occurred in part due to muscle fatigue. Unfortunately, these injuries often mean a long rehabilitation period and stepping away from an activity you enjoy and have worked so hard to achieve, sometimes for months. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing the hard work of strengthening and endurance building fade away during a period of recovery.
This is where Occupational Therapy and Certified Hand Therapy can make a real difference. OTs are trained to help people maintain participation in meaningful activities over the course of a lifetime while protecting the body. For fitness enthusiasts, our interventions often include:
- Education on body mechanics and movement patterns: We teach clients how to lift, squat, push, pull, and reach safely. For example, coaching proper shoulder alignment during overhead presses to reduce rotator cuff stress.
- Posture and motor control analysis: We evaluate movement patterns to identify compensations, weaknesses, or inefficient mechanics that increase injury risk. For instance, noticing a forward shoulder posture during pressing exercises may lead us to incorporate scapular stabilization drills and motor control exercises to retrain proper movement.
- Designing balanced workout routines: We identify underused or weak muscle groups and incorporate exercises to prevent imbalance. A client overtraining chest may add scapular stabilizing exercises to protect shoulders and promote postural balance.
- Cross-training strategies: We create programs that mix strength, flexibility, and aerobic conditioning to reduce overuse injuries. For instance, a runner may incorporate swimming or yoga to maintain cardiovascular fitness while reducing knee strain.
- Work-rest balance: We help clients plan recovery periods, active rest days, and micro-breaks during high-volume training. This includes monitoring fatigue and pain signals to avoid pushing through early warning signs.
- Injury prevention techniques: Using tools such as resistance bands, stability balls, and mobility drills, we teach ways to strengthen tendons and ligaments safely.
By combining these approaches, OTs and CHTs help fitness enthusiasts stay healthy, maintain performance, and prevent injuries, allowing you to continue enjoying your workouts for years to come.
When to Consult an OT or CHT
If you’re experiencing aches, pains, stiffness, numbness, or fatigue during your workout, or you’re avoiding certain exercises because of discomfort, his is a clear sign to consult an OT/CHT. Early intervention can prevent a mild irritation from becoming a significant injury.
We can assess your movement, evaluate symptoms, and guide you through targeted strategies to keep you active. We can help you return to your routine safely, modify training to protect healing tissues, and create a long-term plan to prevent reinjury. You don’t have to wait until an injury sidelines you, an OT consult can be used proactively to keep you strong, safe, and doing what you love.
The takeaway: Exercise is incredibly beneficial, but smart training is essential. Strengthen, train, and challenge yourself, but always respect your body’s signals, maintain good form, include flexibility and mobility work, and integrate cross-training and recovery. Doing so will help you enjoy fitness safely, avoiding the long-term setbacks of injury and pain
Work out smart now and keep fit for years to come.
Flourish Recovery & Wellness 