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For an active person, there is little more frustrating than a tweak, a twist, or inflammation that makes working out difficult. Obstacles like plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and soreness in the knees are among the most common injuries that complicate working out. Yet there are ways to work around these issues to make exercise easier in both the short and long term.

Plantar fasciitis:

One of the most common and frustrating foot injuries is plantar fasciitis, a condition which causes heel pain and difficulty walking. Performing calf stretches throughout the day can loosen the heel and relieve pain. To stretch your calf, stand in front of a wall, extend one foot flat on the floor behind you, and stretch your body toward the wall. You will feel the back of your calf loosening up which will in turn loosen the heel.

Shin splints:

A common runners' issue, shin splints frequently occur when you increase your exercise load too fast. There are two steps to deal with shin splints. Rest is the treatment for shin splints. Once afflicted, stay off your feet as much as possible for a few days and avoid any intense lower body activity for a week or two. To prevent shin splints from coming back, begin with a low impact workout for a few days a week and gradually increase your workload over time. Also, as with plantar fasciitis, stretching before exercise can go a long way to preventing shin pain.

Knee injuries:

There are a few stretches than can help to loosen up the knees and the muscles surrounding them. The quad stretch simply involves stretching your thigh muscles by bending your leg behind you and using your hand to holding your ankle up. The hamstring stretch involves sitting flat on the floor, bending at the waist, and reaching for your toes.

There are also a number of great low impact exercises that are ideal for injury rehabilitation or for preventative care. Swimming is one of the most frequently used exercises for people recovering from lower body injuries. Swimming puts very little strain on the joints and provides a workout of any intensity level. Biking can be another effective low-strain, high-intensity exercise that can provide a great workout depending on the specific injury.

Finally, when dealing with an injury, you can turn to exercises that avoid using certain areas of the body altogether. Weight training is a great way to carry this out. If you have a leg injury, you can have a workout that focuses on the chest, shoulders, biceps, and abdomen. If you have an arm injury, exercises like squats, toe lifts, and wall slides will focus exclusively on the lower body and midsection. With weight training, you can pick and choose the areas you want to exercise.

The common theme to preventing or dealing with any soreness or injury is to stretch before your workout and to keep your activity level steady. It's all about keeping your muscles and joints prepared.

Learn more about this author, Art Vandelay.
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