Weight training is a popular athletic activity, but weight room injuries can cause significant pain or discomfort. According to a 2000 study by C. S. Jones and colleagues published in the journal The Physician and Sportsmedicine, the number of weight training-related injuries treated in emergency rooms have increased 35 percent since 1978, and people who engage in weight training activities should receive proper instruction on how to use weight equipment.
Chest Injuries
The Sports Injury Bulletin website says chest injuries in the weight room occur in part because many weight trainers spend too much time working on their chest, which can lead to overuse injuries. Poor technique while using free weights for chest exercises, such as dumbbell flies or presses, is another possible cause of chest soft tissue injuries, including pectoral or intercostal—between the rib—muscle strains. The Sports Injury Bulletin also notes that weight training injuries, including chest or pectoral muscles injuries, are often caused by an exerciser or athlete pushing himself too hard and using weights that are beyond his physical ability to safely lift. During the bench press exercise to build chest strength, the bar or dumbbells themselves can be a source of chest wall injuries if they are allowed to fall on or bounce off the chest.
Shoulder Injuries
Shoulder injuries are a relatively common weight room injury among novice and veteran weight trainers alike. The Sports Injury Bulletin website states that above-shoulder weight training exercises can cause chronic shoulder pain, restrict shoulder range of motion and limit participation in numerous types of athletic activity. Like free weight exercises for the chest, shoulder exercises must be executed with flawless technique and appropriate weight to avoid soft tissue injuries. Some weight room shoulder exercises, especially dips, should be avoided altogether to minimize a person's risk of shoulder injuries. Although it primarily targets the triceps muscles, the dips exercise can place significant strain on the shoulder. According to the Prevent Disease website, dips put an extraordinary amount of vertical stress in the shoulder's acromioclavicular, or AC, joint, which can lead to AC joint separation.
Hand Injuries
According to Jones' study, at 23.8 percent of total injuries, the hand is the most frequently injured body part in the weight room. The Hospital for Special Surgery or HSS—a New York City-based hospital specializing in orthopedic surgery and rheumatological conditions—states that hand tendinitis is frequently seen in weight lifters with poor form or in those who attempt to lift too much weight. HSS notes that hand and wrist injuries are also common in beginner yoga practitioners, who may attempt postures that place undue stress on tendons not yet trained to accommodate such force. Weight room hand injuries may occur when weights or other heavy objects are dropped on the hand, or when returning dumbbells to a weight rack. A dumbbell that slides off a weight rack and injures the hand can cause significant pain and structural damage to the fingers, hand and wrist, and possibly even fracture of the involved bones.
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