It’s very easy to shrug off a temporary malady and hope that you’ll feel better about it tomorrow. For example, if you stub your toe on the corner of a table or step on a LEGO brick, you’re unlikely to have a fun time, but you’ll likely know the damage isn’t lasting and you’ll be fine in a little while.
Once we start to head to the gym and become more resilient and feel better in ourselves, the chance of us doing that only increase. It might be that your shoulder didn’t feel quite right after that bench press, or perhaps you felt a little more lethargic today than usual, but you imagine this time next session you’ll be fine.
What is it that could cross the line between minor problem and a sign of a gym-accelerated health issue? In this post, we’ll discuss a few difficulties you may be having, what support to seek, and how to prevent the issue from occuring in the future.
Swimmer’s Ear
Swimmer’s ear is a bacterial infection that can occur if your eardrum is wet and filled with moisture. If you run for long periods of time with earbuds, wear earplugs at night to sleep, and fail to carefully wash out wax, then you can find your ear feeling wet inside and sometimes quite painful. You can use antibacterial drops to help remove swimmer’s ear, but don’t ignore it if you notice this, because the eardrum is delicate enough already without infections to worry about. This can also inspire you to limit how often you place buds in your ear, and move on from there.
Mobility Issues
If you notice that you’re struggling with mobility, be that a rotator cuff difficulty as mentioned above, a hard time stretching, or perhaps a feeling of tenseness that comes on after your exercise, it’s important to take a break. Otherwise, you may cause damage to yourself. Onset limited mobility can be the sign of an injury already, perhaps a tear, or joint damage that may require looking at. Check if you have the full range of motion, and if you don’t, consider if you have dull or aching pain. If you encounter a sudden loss of capability or strength, be sure to have it checked out.
Foot Infections
Exercise is sweaty, and often hard on the feet. Couple that with socks and gym shoes (or even lifting shoes), and you have a recipe for bacterial growth. Of course, walking barefoot in a changing room or around the perimeter of a pool is not always helpful either - athlete’s foot can be more common than you think. With the best podiatrist to help you, you can quickly isolate the source of the issue and treat it properly. You can also implement measures to avoid you spreading a foot condition to others.
With this advice, you’re sure to avoid gym-accelerated health issues. Note that none of this advice should ever be taken if it runs counter to the specific instructions of your physician.