How to Prevent Tendinitis When Exercising

Exercising is essential to protecting against chronic disease. People who exercise regularly have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases than their counterpart who rarely or never exercise. While regular exercise is undoubtedly good for your health, though, it can lead to tendinitis if you aren't careful.

Tendinitis is a physical injury that's characterized by inflammation of one or more tendons. Muscles, of course, are attached to bones via tendons. Tendons connect muscles to adjacent bones. When exercising, you may stress a tendon to the point of inflammation, resulting in tendinitis. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to prevent tendinitis when exercising.

Don't Overdo It

The single most important tip for preventing tendinitis is to know your limits. In other words, don't push yourself too hard when exercising by lifting more weight -- or performing other physical activities -- than that of which your body can handle. Tendinitis is considered an overexertion injury, so it typically occurs when you push yourself too hard. By lifting lighter weights, you'll be better protected against this otherwise common injury.

Warm Up Beforehand

Another way to lower your risk of tendinitis when exercising is to warm up. Don't just head-first into a strenuous exercise session. Instead, start small by performing lighter and easier exercises. As you warm up, you can move on to bigger and more strenuous exercises. Warming up allows your muscles and tendons to acclimate. In turn, you'll be less likely to develop tendinitis as well as other types of injuries.

Watch Your Back

While tendinitis typically occurs in the wrists, arms or legs, that doesn't mean your back is immune to it. There are tendons in your back, and like all tendons, they can become inflamed if you use the wrong approach when exercising. To prevent tendinitis in your back, you should use caution to avoid stressing your back muscles. If you stress your back muscles, you'll inevitably stress the tendons in your back as well.

Perfect Your Technique

The technique you use when exercising can affect your risk of developing tendinitis. If you use an awkward technique to lift weights, for example, it may pull one or more tendons while promoting inflammation. Therefore, you need to perfect your technique. Whether you're lifting weights, jogging or cycling, using the right technique will lower your risk of tendinitis.