Weightlifting Injuries a “Girl Thing”?
As a chiropractor, I am always concerned about sports injury prevention, especially when my office is filled on Monday mornings with weekend warriors. And, over the years, I have treated quite a few teens who've hit the ground hard at the goal line or who've pulled a groin muscle or hamstring making it "safe" to first base. sports injuries have been occurring for as long as sports have been around, that is to say, for hundreds of years! But, I just read in the Orlando Sentinel that there is a sports injury affecting an unexpected sector of the population. A new, comprehensive study on weightlifting injuries, led by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and recently published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, revealed that while teenage girls are lifting weights more than ever these days, they’re also one of the biggest groups getting hurt.
The 18-year study of weightlifting injuries, from dropped weights to pinched fingers, found that the increase in the popularity of this sport has led to an increase of trips to the hospital due lifting injuries. Although males sustained the largest proportion of weight training injuries over the study period, the increase in injuries in teenage girls was much higher than the increase in teenage boys, indicating that more girls are participating.
Most injuries happen, experts say, not because kids are lifting too much, but because they’re supervised too little. They offer these tips for newbie lifters:
- Never lift alone. It’s best to have a coach or trainer nearby at all times.
- Always use a spotter.
- Be sure to start slowly and build up to heavier weights.
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