Injury At The Gym Is Preventable – Image By William Choquette Pexels
Getting injured during exercise is not uncommon. You are exerting your body and putting it under strain, so if your form slips for even just a second or there’s an accident outside of your control, injuries can occur pretty easily. The gym, therefore, is no exception to this rule.
If you regularly attend the gym and have recently been injured during a workout, you could be confused as to what to do next, both for your physical recovery and for your return to that same gym. So you can know what to do next, let’s explore these aspects.
(Please Note – this article in no way is a substitute for legal or medical advice, and if you have experienced an injury at your gym, we recommend that you seek professional legal and/or medical advice before starting your recovery process or claiming compensation.)
Culpability: What Caused The Accident?
If you are injured in a gym, there are many ways that this could have occurred. You may have not used the equipment correctly, you could have poor posture or form when using the equipment, the equipment may be unsafe, staff may have been negligent or the gym layout may be poor. If you’ve injured yourself at the gym, then you need to establish what caused the injury. Health and safety compliance in gyms is very strict, and if you feel that compliance has not been met, you could be eligible for compensation from the gym.
If your accident was caused by poor form or another error on your part, you probably don’t have a case for compensation. However, if the equipment was poorly stored or stacked; the flooring didn’t have enough grip; the staff gave you poor advice or there was no supervision, and any of these circumstances contributed to your injury, you might have a case.
If you’re unsure, hire a personal injury lawyer who can examine your case and see if you have enough evidence to make a case.
Recovery: How Do You Recover From A Gym Injury?
Whether or not you have decided to make a case against the gym for your injury, you need to focus primarily on recovering physically from your injury. This is something you can possibly do by yourself or you may need to seek out professional advice.
Here are a few tips for getting over a gym injury
#1 See a physiotherapist.
Physiotherapists are highly trained in dealing with bodies that have suffered trauma. Whether your injury was seemingly minor or very severe, a physiotherapist will equip you with exercises and stretches to help keep your body mobile while you recover. Plus, they’ll be able to strengthen the injured area, which ensures you can carry on your exercise routine after you’ve recovered.
#2 Ease yourself back into gentle movement as soon as possible.
Just because you are injured, it doesn’t mean you should stay still and not move your body at all. Unless you have been advised of complete rest by a doctor, you should try to maintain gentle movement while you recover. Even if you have to modify this movement to take pressure off your injury, it is best for your organs, muscles and mental health to keep moving as much as possible.
#3 Invest in recovery equipment and products.
Recovery products like PT tape or a buckwheat yoga pillow can work wonders for your health while you get over the injury. If you are looking for pt tape, click the link to find out more!
What is PT tape? PT tape, also known as kinesiology tape, is a product that is placed on your injured area to support the muscles and joints, as well as increasing mobility and promoting easy movement of the area too.
You might be recommended pt tape by your physiotherapist, or you can buy it online if you know how to use it yourself.
While you don’t need to spend a crazy amount of money on your recovery, it is helpful to invest in small items that will help you get over the injury as quickly as you can.
#4 Maintain a healthy, balanced diet including supplements.
When your body is injured, it works extra hard to do the essential healing work it needs to do to survive. This means that maintaining a healthy, balanced diet and taking the right supplements can make all the difference in your injury recovery process.
Protein is especially important during injury recovery, as protein helps your cells to repair and regenerate quickly. If you don’t have enough protein in your diet, you could incorporate it into smoothies or shakes using protein powder – either plant based or dairy based!
In addition, plenty of iron, Vitamin C, healthy carbohydrates and good fats will all assist your body in its recovery from your injury.
#5 Don’t rush!
Injury recovery takes time. While it can, of course, be highly frustrating to have to sit around and wait for your injury to heal, if you rush back to the gym too soon it can only worsen your condition.
While getting injured at the gym is not an ideal situation, you can overcome this with sound advice. If you’re not sure, then seek out a professional opinion so that you make a full recovery in the shortest time possible.
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