Editor’s note: This article is part of the Health and Fitness page’s weekly series about sports injuries based on information from the physical therapists of Cyclone Sports Medicine. This week, Jim Nespor will spotlight aerobics injuries.

For the past few decades, aerobics have been a popular form of exercise for weight control and cardiovascular health. However, Jim Nespor, chief physical therapist at Cyclone Sports Medicine, said it has also been the cause of many injuries.

“Aerobics can potentially be the cause of several injuries,” Nespor said. “These can arise from poor programs developed by the so-called ‘experts’ or they may simply be due to over-doing it with a very good aerobics program.”

Nespor said one way that people get injured while doing aerobics is “over-use.”

“The first category of injuries that we see are usually over-use type injuries,” he said. “People tend to start aerobics after having been inactive for a period of time and may over-do the amount of exercises that occur at the beginning of the program.”

Nespor said the knees are especially prone to injury during aerobic exercise.

“One specific area may be the patello-femoral joint of the knee,” he said. “This is basically an injury to the [patella] that may be due to some irritation or roughing of the cartilage lining on the backside of the patella.”

The symptoms of this injury can be difficult to pinpoint, Nespor said.

“People will generally get some vague symptoms behind the knee cap and may also find it hard to go up and down stairs,” he said. “They may also have some discomfort when they are sitting with their knees bent for a long period of time. Step aerobics may also make this condition become even worse, as this joint is especially important when a person is stepping up and down.”

The treatment for the condition is simple, he said, and mainly involves using the principles of RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation).

Nespor said the feet and ankles are also prone to minor injuries during aerobic exercise.

“Other common injuries seen in the aerobics person are foot-and-ankle type problems,” he said. “Shin splints can be another common affliction. Also, a person may develop some tendonitis to the feet and ankles. Shoulder tendonitis may also occur with overhead movements of the arms.”

These minor injuries can lead to more serious problems if they are ignored.

“If a person continues to work through the painful symptoms,” he said, “sometimes the condition will progress to a point where stress fractures may develop. Generally, these conditions are recognized by the fact that there may be a localized area of pain to touch and that the symptoms usually continue even after the person stops the aerobic session.”

Nespor said aerobic injuries should not keep anyone from working out.

“Don’t let injuries keep you from participating in your favorite aerobics class,” he said. “As is the case with any other injuries, if the symptoms do not resolve with this simple notion of the ‘RICE’ principle, the student should then request follow-up with their family physician or a physician at the Student Health Center.”

The key to avoiding health problems altogether is prevention, Nespor said.

“Aerobics should be started very gradually, and the person should work up to a higher intensity of aerobics and also a longer duration of aerobics,” he said. “The sooner these injuries are recognized, the sooner physical therapy rehabilitation may begin and a person may be able to resume aerobics without difficulties.”

And, as with all sports, footwear is the key to a proper aerobics workout, Nespor said.

“Shoes are of the utmost importance,” he said. “Shoes that fit well and have a lot of shock absorption are a must.”

For more information, call Cyclone Sports Medicine at 294-2626.