Part 1: The Cause of Injuries
Most of us know about physical pain and injuries. Many of us may have experienced pain from one of the following areas: low back, knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists, etc. Of course, how can we forget the legendary pain in the neck? (speaking literally, not figuratively) We do not expect to be injured while exercising, but according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 1994, over 100,000 Americans were rushed to the emergency department due to an injury caused by their exercise routine. (This is only a small percentage of the actual number of injuries that go unreported.) What is the major cause of these injuries?

The Cause:
When a material is exposed to a level of force exceeding its structural strength, it fails. In the case of the human body, this can mean pulled, strained or torn muscles and/or connective tissue, broken bones or worse. Excessive force applied to the body is the root cause of the majority of the injuries to our bodies. Running for example, a notorious injury producer, exposes the body to a force of two to four times body weight with every step. Consider that an average runner that weighs 150 pounds and has an average stride length will take approximately 1175 steps per mile. This runner would therefore be exposed to approximately 225 TONS OF FORCE for each mile run! Multiply this out for several miles in each session and you will discover the literally enormous amount of force the body is abused with during running.

According to the National Council for Exercise Standards, “Aerobic activities expose the participant to high levels of force and chronic overstressing of muscles, joints and connective tissues. As a result, aerobic activities directly cause a multitude of injuries and physical debilities such as osteo-arthritis, stress fractures, tendonitis, sprains, strains, ligament damage, muscle pulls and other maladies.” In reference to aerobic activities, Dr. Doug McGuff, MD. States, “It amazes me that people pursue this incredibly destructive activity in the quest for cardiovascular health, when all they are really doing is destroying their joints and wasting away their muscles so that eventually they will be unable to carry out activities of daily living and thus destroy their cardiovascular health.”

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