What to Do if You Get Injured in the Gym

Succumbing to an injury is never an enjoyable experience. It can take you off your feet for days, and potentially stop you from doing your job for months. As the world slowly starts opening up after a rough 18 months, lots of you are thinking about returning to the gym. Gyms are great places to go and get fit, with the environment helping you feel more motivated to push yourself.

However, after spending a lot of time away from the gym, the likelihood of injuries increases. You’re not as fit as you used to be, but you might try to jump straight back in where you left off. As such, you push your body too hard too soon, and you hurt yourself. Or, there can be fluke incidents where you trip and fall over something. There are also issues with equipment breaking down – which could possibly be more common after months of non-use. Regardless, when you get injured in the gym, what should you do?

If you carry on reading, you’ll find some advice on that topic, as well as a few bits of important information on how you can prevent injuries in the future!

Step 1: Get Help

The first step is making people aware of the situation. Don’t try to carry on with your workout when you’re injured, just take a step back and ask for help. If there’s a gym instructor nearby, signal to them that you’ve hurt yourself. Or, ask someone nearby to go and get the manager or any worker that’s currently on their shift. They will come and listen to your concerns, providing any emergency first aid if required. This can involve providing bandages or ice packs, and anything else to make you feel comfortable.

Additionally, if you require medical assistance, the gym workers can phone an ambulance for you. Other than that, they will keep you safe and comfortable until you can arrange to be picked up from the gym (if required) or are ready to leave of your own accord.

Step 2: Diagnose the Injury

Next, you need to diagnose the injury. In some cases, you might be able to do this yourself. Or, you can pretty much tell what’s wrong with you. For example, if you trip over and cut your knee, you know that you’ve cut your knee! This point is more related to any musculoskeletal injuries you get in the gym.

As an example, if you suddenly feel a sharp pain in the back of your leg while on the treadmill, what could that mean? It’s hard to walk, there could be bruising, so the chances are you’ve either pulled or torn a muscle. You won’t know what the issue is until you have had it properly checked out. Most of the time, this means going to see a doctor or another medical professional. You might need an x-ray, so you’ll have to see a radiographer to get that done.

Once the injury has been diagnosed, you’ll receive advice on how to treat it. Listen to this advice as it can be the difference between returning to action on time or many months down the line.

Step 3: Consider Legal Action

Yes, this is something you should consider when you get injured in the gym. It won’t directly improve your injury, but it can indirectly have a huge impact on the recovery process. A lot of personal injury FAQs revolve around the idea of blame and liability. In most cases, people want to know who is to blame if you get injured in a commercial setting – like a gym.

Did you know that you can technically claim compensation if you are injured at the gym? This is because the company has a legal obligation to make its environment as safe as possible. If the injury is caused by something like faulty equipment or debris on the floor, you have a case on your hands. It’s well worth pursuing the legal route as it can help you get some money to pay for any medical bills or lost wages. You may also be able to use the money to pay for better treatments, possibly speeding up the recovery process.

Step 4: Recover

Finally, all that’s left to do is recover! While this seems like the easiest step, it’s often the hardest. The temptation to get back to action is really hard to avoid. However, take it slowly and give your injury time to heal. Baby steps are needed – don’t push yourself straight away, work on building yourself back to where you were. If you follow the treatment plan given after your diagnosis, you should be back on track in no time.

Tips to Prevent Injuries in the Gym

You know what to do if you get injured in the gym, but what can you do to prevent this from happening in the first place? Here are a few tips you will find very useful:

• Always warm up before exercising to prevent muscle and joint injuries.
• Make sure you have a spotter with you if you are doing exercises with heavy weights where you can easily fail.
• Know your limits – don’t bite off more than you can chew, slowly build your way up to lifting more weights or running faster, etc.
• Make sure you know how to use the equipment you’re using. This means learning how to set the machines so you don’t risk injuring yourself through improper use.
• Always wear suitable clothing for your workouts – don’t wear clothes that can cause you to trip over, but also think about wearing the right clothing for the weather.
• Check the area around you for anything on the floor that could cause a trip and fall injury.

If you follow these tips, you will reduce the chances of being injured in the gym. As such, you won’t need to worry about the first half of this guide in the future! Injury prevention is a lot easier than injury recovery – but, if you have been injured in the gym, feel free to use this guide to help you get through it.