Do you love CrossFit but fear injuring yourself? 

Do you want to start an injury prevention program but have no idea where to begin?

Are you already currently experiencing nagging injuries that just won’t seem to go away?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then golly do we have an article for you!

Contrary to popular belief, injuries are not caused by lack of stretching. Did you know that injury to your body is always a result of too much force on a specific tissue (bone, ligament, tendon or muscle)? There are a number of reasons why a specific tissue may experience the force necessary to cause injury. Let’s look at some of the most common here, and then talk about how you can avoid them!

Cause of Injury	Common Mistake	How to fix
Improper movement patterns	Adding load but continuing with poor technique	Focused 1-on-1 sessions with a coach to practice proper technique
Progressing to more advanced movements too quickly	Lack of strength in foundational movements	Build strength in strict movements before kipping
Injury to a joint, caused by muscle weakness around that joint	Never doing accessory work to strengthen the muscles around that joint.	Regularly performing accessory work for the joints you use for common CrossFit movements
Muscle Imbalance and incoordination	Stretching	Movement assessment and coordination exercises
Repeated stress on an already inflamed tissue	Continuing to exercise on a partially injury tissue	Rest until that inflammation can improve
Fatigue during high intensity exercise leading to breakdown of form	Continuing with high loads in a metcon, even when unable to maintain proper technique	Decrease load to still maintain intended stimulus but without breakdown of technique

This is not an all-inclusive list, but just a few causes and potential solutions to injuries. If you have a nagging pain, injury, or have other questions, contact your friendly neighborhood Doctors of Physical Therapy.

Jeff and Leah Swahlan