A musculoskeletal injury profile of weight trainers at gyms within the eThekwini municipality

Abstract

Background Weight training is an ancient practice that has been growing and evolving over time. It has gained more popularity in modern times due to its benefits for the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. Although weight training has been associated with numerous benefits, there are also documented risks of injury associated with it. There are several gyms within the eThekwini municipality where people perform weight training exercises and possibly sustain injuries related to weight training. However, there is a paucity of literature relating to this group of individuals, some of whom are not professional athletes and could possibly be at higher risk of sustaining injuries. The aim of this research was to ascertain the musculoskeletal injury profile of weight trainers at gyms within the eThekwini municipality. Methodology This research was a quantitative cross-sectional survey; a questionnaire was used as the research tool. The questionnaire was administered to 322 participants who met the inclusion criteria. Individuals who read the letter of information and signed the consent form were allowed to participate in the research. Once completed, the consent forms and questionnaires were placed in different boxes by the researcher in order to maintain confidentiality. The results of the research were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 25) to determine statistical significance, wherein a p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The logistics regression model was used to analyse the relationship between one dependent binary variable and independent nominal variables. Results and discussion There was a 100% response rate and of the 322 participants in the research, only 31.4% had sustained at least one injury related to weight training. The majority of the participants were males (90.4%). Furthermore, there was a higher number of injuries sustained when using free weights (88.1%) as compared to weight training machines (11.8%). Most injuries were sustained while performing the barbell shoulder press (18.8%). The shoulder was the anatomical location with the highest injury frequency (31.7%). Muscle strains (40.5%) were the most common types of injuries. Risk factors that were found to have a significant effect on injury were individuals within the age group 32-38 years who sustained 48.9% of the reported injuries. Individuals who had sustained injuries in the past (p=0.017) were also at higher risk of sustaining other injuries. The number of hours spent weight training (p=0.017) were also found to increase the risk of sustaining injuries. Conclusion The findings of this study show that there are certain anatomical locations that are more prone to injury than others. Weight training, just like any other type of exercise, can predispose one to injury, but the rate of injury due to weight training is generally low. The most prevalent types of injuries were muscle strains and joint sprains, with a few rare exceptions of serious injuries such as muscle tears and bone fractures.