Beware of high intensity workouts

The number of people under 30 suffering hip, knee and back problems has increased four-fold due to high intensity exercise regimes, Dr Gorav Datta warns.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Gorav Datta said high-intensity workouts had contributed to bone and joint damage not normally seen until people reach their 60s.

According to Dr Datta it is the busy lives that has led to a rise in the popularity of ‘explosive’ exercise routines among people of all levels of fitness and ability.

Over the past few years there has been an expansion in the fitness market designed to meet the needs of young people with many conflicting priorities to contend with.

‘Cult fitness regimes and the use of over-zealous personal trainers, all of which emphasise high-intensity, high-impact work, appeal to those who want to cram exercise into their hectic daily lives. The problem, however, is that these short and intense bursts and repetitions can wreak havoc with joints and, longer-term, lead to the need for surgery,’ says Dr Datta.

Some of the popular training regimes, which can be performed at gyms or at home, can consist of a range of repetitive aerobic exercises, body weight exercises, weightlifting and gymnastics which are performed in 30-minute to hour-long workouts.

Dr Datta says, ‘I now see patients under 30 who have the types of bone and joint injuries we would previously have expected to see in people in their late 50s and 60s, with around a quarter requiring surgical intervention.’

The message for young people is to be careful not to over-train and to avoid some of the exercises and training regimes that can trash the joints.

Dr Datta advises, ‘That can be achieved by adopting more moderate workouts with adequate rest days and periods in between, while those with established joint problems could look to non-impact options such as swimming and cycling.’

If you want to avoid artificial joints in the near future, you may well reconsider your exercise options!