In the challenging sport of aerobics, injuries are common and often
involve the foot, ankle and lower leg. The knee and back can also be
involved. Medical professionals agree that most injuries occur from
using improper footwear, inappropriate surfaces, poorly chosen
movements, too fast tempos and simple overuse injuries.
If you are attending a high impact class and the impact is too
much bring it down a bit for some low impact segments. If the
instructor does any movements that cause you pain, first check your
form and if that doesn't help modify or choose another movement.
Unfortunately, tempos are being conducted way too fast in most
aerobics classes. If you find yourself shortening your steps, not going
through the full range of motion or feel like you might trip switch to
a slower class.
The surface you train on is very important. The best aerobic's
surface is a hardwood suspended floor which still has a little give to
it. There are poured urethane gym floors that also offer some support.
The worst floors are concrete or wood on concrete. Carpeting no support
and can actually slip a little. Mats can provide too much cushioning
leading to a twisted ankle.
Avoiding injuries in aerobics requires proper footwear. Look for a
shoe especially made for aerobics or cross training. These will give
you the lateral support needed for side to side movements and good
cushioning for impact forces.
Common aerobics injuries include the following:
*Plantar fascitis (arch pain). Arch pain is caused by stressing the
bottom part of the foot. The plantar fascia is a fibrous band running
from the front to the back of the bottom of the foot. If you have
rearfoot or forefoot instability, with severe pronation, the fascia can
become inflamed causing great pain. Make sure your shoes have proper
arches or see a podiatrist for special inserts.
*Shin Splints. Shin splints are probably the most common lower
extremity injury. Pain is usually felt along the shin muscles (front,
middle or back) and is a result of high impact forces or training on
improper surfaces. Strengthening the muscles of the shin before your
workout is helpful and icing them afterward will reduce inflammation.
*Heel spurs. Heel spurs occur when calcium deposits build up on the
bottom of the heel bone. These take a long time to grow. Stretching the
bottom of the foot before class is helpful.
*Achilles tendinitis. During aerobics we spend a lot of time on our
toes. This creates pain and tightness in the back of the calf.
Stretching the calf before and after class is helpful. Also, remember
to bring your heels down. You should not always be up on the balls of
your feet.
*Stress Fractures. Stress fractures, like shin splints, are caused by
improper footwear, hard surfaces and overuse syndromes. Women usually
get fractures in the lesser metatarsal bones. See a podiatrist right
away to avoid a truly debilitating injury.
*Sesamoiditis. The sesamoid bones are just beneath the large metatarsal
bones. These bones take incredible forces during aerobics because, as
mentioned before, we spend too much time on the balls of our feet.
Practice bringing the heel down. If a fracture occurs see a podiatrist.
When paticipating in various types of aerobics you need to be
cautious and responsible. There are good aerobic programs and there are
bad ones. Look for things like choice of shoe, the surface you train
on, the moves the instructor chooses, speed of movement, and above all
how you feel while exercising. You need to be responsible for listening
to your body and exercising good common injury sense.
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