Joint Pain in Athletes

The most frequent problem that an athlete who strength train as well as muscle builders face is that of joint pain. Every person who frequents the gym at some point of time would have observed and remarked on the pain experienced in areas such as elbow, shoulders and knees. Grievances such as these are common in every gym anywhere in the world. Unfortunately pain in the joints could result in less efficient muscle building.

Luckily, on most occasions the pain in the joints could be a result of many simple things. Usually, pain experienced by the bodybuilders is on account of the following reasons:

* They hardly ever perform adequate warm up
* They train using weights that are excessively heavy.
* The muscle building workouts are performed too frequently or for longer durations than required
* They do not give time for their joints, muscles and tendons to rest.
* Lack of intake of required vitamins and nutrients
* They use faulty techniques when lifting weights
* Or all of the above mentioned reasons.

Pain that is not constant but comes and goes in areas such as elbow, knees or any other place is not an indication of a grave problem. This is experienced by everyone whether he is a strength trainer or not. What is referred to here is chronic pain, which is pain that remains over a period of time, maybe days, weeks or even months with no interruption. Also, this pain is not a result of any of the previously mentioned mistakes in strength training but is something more serious than that.

Joint Problems – Bodybuilder/Muscle Building

There are numerous kinds of problems that lead to injury in the joints for athletes and non-athletes. The most frequent problems of joint pain are bursitis, tendinitis and arthritis.

Bursitis – Within the joints situated are tiny, liquid filled sacks known as bursae. The bursae assist in the movement of joints and muscle as well as acting as a cushion against friction. These sacks tend to inflame and prone to injury on account of various reasons and result in a chronic pain, also known as bursitis.

Usually, bursitis is often initiated in the elbow or shoulder and is also referred to as tennis elbow.

Tendinitis – It is the most common cause of pain that affects weight trainers and body builders. Also, it is easily treatable. But, if not treated, it can cause great and enduring pain when a bodybuilder tries to put on muscle when working out through the pain. Quickly, it can end all the strength training programs for more than a few months. In athletes tendonitis occurs when the tendon surrounding the joint becomes inflamed due to injury or overuse.

Arthritis – While there are different types of arthritis, the two major ones are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Of the two, the most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis that occurs in people who lift weights and perform strength training exercises.

Osteoarthritis – A result of deterioration of the joints that is categorized by the wear and tear of the cartilage which is situated at the ends of the bones. As a result the smooth cartilage becomes rough and results in greater pain and friction when you lift weights. In case it is not treated, the resultant pain could immobilize you. Actually, a lot of had to end their careers due to chronic osteoarthritis.