UPPER EXTREMITY INJURIES ASSOCIATED WITH STRENGTH TRAINING
Section snippets
SHOULDER
Strength training can place considerable stress across the shoulder. Essentially, strength training causes the shoulder to become a weightbearing joint. Overuse complaints are common and include strains of all the major muscle groups about the shoulder, including the deltoid and the rotator cuff. Strains of the trapezius and paracervical musculature during heavy bench pressing activities are common, as is bicipital tendinitis. We have encountered several instances of significant adhesive
ELBOW
Soft tissue complaints are common about the elbow during strength training activities. Lateral epicondylitis is quite common as a result of repetitive use of a power grip to hoist dumbbells and barbells. Less commonly, medial epicondylitis and bicipital tendinitis at the elbow can occur. Intensive training of the triceps muscle commonly results in triceps tendinitis in strength-training athletes.
Treatment for all these conditions includes rest, ice massage techniques, nonsteroidal
FOREARM, WRIST, AND HAND
A powerful hand grip is required in most strength-training exercises. We have encountered several patients with a compression neuropathy at the ulnar nerve in Guyon's canal, usually as a result of improper grip. This improper grip places the thumb under a straight bar during a pressing motion, allowing the weight to rest on Guyon's canal, which can result in discomfort in Guyon's canal and paresthesia in the ulnar nerve distribution at the ring and long fingers. A normal grip, in which the
NEUROLOGIC INJURY
Several cases of neurologic injury as a result of strength training have been described. Two reports of suprascapular neuropathy after intensive strength training have been reported.1, 5 In one case, the strength-training program consisted of the use of Nautilus equipment, emphasizing exercises to strengthen shoulder abduction. The initial treatment for this patient did not include rest but instead a low-resistance, high-repetition shoulder-strengthening program. Rest may have allowed this
ANABOLIC STEROIDS
The abuse of anabolic steroids most often occurs in strength-training athletes. Under the proper conditions, anabolic steroids can induce significant strength gains and muscle hypertrophy.21 In addition to their multiple systemic adverse side effects, anabolic steroids seem to play a role in soft tissue injuries about the upper extremity. As noted earlier, several cases of triceps tendon rupture have been associated with anabolic steroids.3, 23, 40 Also, a spontaneous rupture of the extensor
SUMMARY
Most injuries sustained during strength training are mild strains that resolve with appropriate rest. More severe injuries include traumatic shoulder dislocations, tendon ruptures of the pectoralis major, biceps, and triceps; stress fractures of the distal clavicle, humerus, radius, and ulna; traumatic fractures of the distal radius and ulna in adolescent weightlifters; and compressive and stretch neuropathies. These more severe injuries are usually the result of improperly performing a
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Cited by (52)
Injuries in martial arts and combat sports: Prevalence, characteristics and mechanisms
2018, Science and SportsCitation Excerpt :In this sense, the main limitation of this study was not to verify if the beginning moment of strength training was before or after injury. On the other hand, it is recognised that resistance training is used by a large part of the athletes and the inappropriate execution of exercises may increase the chance of locomotor system injuries [20]. Moreover, the relation between strength training and injury frequency among combat sports athletes should be better investigated.
Shoulder Injuries in CrossFit and related disciplines
2018, Sports Orthopaedics and TraumatologyUltrasound evaluation of the subacromial space in healthy subjects performing three different positions of shoulder abduction in both loaded and unloaded conditions
2017, Physical Therapy in SportCitation Excerpt :Beyond benefits, however, weight lifting training may also lead to various injuries (Haupt, 2001; Schoenfeld, Kolber, & Haimes, 2011), frequently occurring at the shoulder joint (Haupt, 2001). In fact, lifting weights can place significant stress on the shoulder causing strain to its major muscles, mainly the rotator cuff and the deltoid (Haupt, 2001), thus promoting shoulder pain in weight lifters and athletes using predominantly the upper limbs (Lo, Hsu, & Chan, 1990; Schoenfeld et al., 2011). Rotator cuff disorders have been recognized as one of the main multifactorial causes of shoulder pain in both the athletic and non-athletic population (McCreesh, Crotty, & Lewis, 2015b).
Distal Radius Fracture in Athletes
2016, Operative Techniques in Sports MedicineCitation Excerpt :Player contact is the major source of injuries. It is proposed that injury prevention in games should be focused on creating and enforcing the game rules by the government bodies 60 Finally, it is important to educate athletes and trainers on proper training techniques, protective devices, and the use of equipment to prevent injuries.61 Multi-intervention training programs were associated with a decreased number of sport-related injuries.62
A Sports Medicine Clinician's Guide to the Diagnosis and Management of Distal Clavicular Osteolysis
2023, Current Sports Medicine ReportsThe effect of grip width on muscle strength and electromyographic activity in bench press among novice-and resistance-trained men
2021, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Address reprint requests to Herbert A. Haupt, MD, 3009 N Ballas Rd, Suite 105, St. Louis, MO 63131
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Orthopedic Associates, LLC, St. Louis, Missouri