Society for Women's Health Research: News Service: Excessive Exercise Can Be Dangerous to Your Health

Excessive Exercise Can Be Dangerous to Your Health

Jennifer Wider, M.D.
Society for Women’s Health Research
December 21, 2004

The cornerstones of good health have always included a proper diet and plenty of exercise. But is there a time when too much of a good thing can be dangerous? As the New Year approaches and brings countless pledges of more exercise, people need to beware of the risks involved with over-exercising.

There’s no doubt about it: exercise is part of being healthy. But for some people, it can become an addiction and lead to physical and emotional consequences. Sometimes called compulsive exercise, certain people use extreme, continuous activity at the gym to lose an abnormal amount of weight, calm a powerful fear of being fat, pacify guilt or purge their body of calories.

A host of physical consequences can result from over-exercising. "If the exercise causes overuse injuries or if the person's physical performance is declining rather than improving, it may suggest over-training," says James C. Rosen, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Vermont and head of the obesity advisory committee at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Overuse injuries include: pulled muscles, stress fractures, knee trauma, shin splints, strained hamstrings and ripped tendons.

There is evidence that women who over exercise may be at higher risk for certain types of injuries when compared with men. Women seem to be more likely to injure their anterior cruciate ligament, which is one of four ligaments critical to the stability of the knee joint. Although a definitive reason for this has not been pinpointed, several theories have been explored including female hip width and knee angle, discrepancies in muscle strength and hormonal influences.

It’s important to note that overuse injuries are frequently seen in both women and men. Many studies support the belief that injury rates are more often the result of the type of exercise or sport rather than the gender of the participant. For both sexes, strains and sprains seem to be the most common type of injury.

The damage done by over exercise can have psychological implications as well. According to Rosen, "if the exercise significantly interferes with other responsibilities that the person agrees are important or if the person is losing enjoyment for physical activity and feels burned out," there may be a problem.

There’s nothing wrong with adding a solid regimen of exercise to your New Year’s resolutions, but try not to overdo it. Exercise can be very healthy, especially in moderation. Here are a few tips to prevent overuse injuries:

Stop exercising immediately if you feel pain. It’s usually a sign that something is wrong. If the pain or discomfort persists after you have stopped, seek medical attention.
If you are starting a new exercise routine, start slowly and increase gradually.
Alternate the type of exercise you do every day. You should get at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise daily and there are a variety of workouts to accomplish this: running, stationary bikes, elliptical trainers, and swimming, for example.
Replace your running shoes every 500 miles. The shoes can wear out and lose their ability to absorb shock, which will increase your risk of injury.
Women should consume the recommended daily intake of calcium through their diets or vitamin supplements, which is normally 800 to 1200 milligrams. This can lower their risk for stress fractures. Women who are pregnant or post menopausal need more calcium and should consult their doctors.

Become familiar with the signs of over exercising, “recognize the symptoms which include physical injury, declining performance, feeling burned out, feeling stale in terms of exercise or loss of motivation,” cautions Rosen. “Be honest with yourself about the impact of your exercise time relative to other responsibilities and people.” If exercising is getting in the way of your daily activities or relationships, you may need to slow down.

Sources

Hurd WJ, Chmielewski TL, Axe MJ. Differences in normal and perturbed walking kinematics between male and female athletes. Clin Biomech. 2004 Jun;19(5):465-72.

DeHaven KE, Lintner DM: Athletic injuries: comparison by age, sport, and gender. Am J Sport Med 1986; 14(3):218-224

Coolnurse.com, Preventing Overuse Injuries, 2004.





		Excessive Exercise Can Be Dangerous to Your Health Jennifer Wider, M.D. Society for Women’s Health Research December 21, 2004 The cornerstones of good health have always included a proper diet and plenty of exercise. But is there a time when too much of a good thing can be dangerous? As the New Year approaches and brings countless pledges of more exercise, people need to beware of the risks involved with over-exercising. There’s no doubt about it: exercise is part of being healthy. But for some people, it can become an addiction and lead to physical and emotional consequences. Sometimes called compulsive exercise, certain people use extreme, continuous activity at the gym to lose an abnormal amount of weight, calm a powerful fear of being fat, pacify guilt or purge their body of calories. A host of physical consequences can result from over-exercising. "If the exercise causes overuse injuries or if the person's physical performance is declining rather than improving, it may suggest over-training," says James C. Rosen, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Vermont and head of the obesity advisory committee at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Overuse injuries include: pulled muscles, stress fractures, knee trauma, shin splints, strained hamstrings and ripped tendons. There is evidence that women who over exercise may be at higher risk for certain types of injuries when compared with men. Women seem to be more likely to injure their anterior cruciate ligament, which is one of four ligaments critical to the stability of the knee joint. Although a definitive reason for this has not been pinpointed, several theories have been explored including female hip width and knee angle, discrepancies in muscle strength and hormonal influences. It’s important to note that overuse injuries are frequently seen in both women and men. Many studies support the belief that injury rates are more often the result of the type of exercise or sport rather than the gender of the participant. For both sexes, strains and sprains seem to be the most common type of injury. The damage done by over exercise can have psychological implications as well. According to Rosen, "if the exercise significantly interferes with other responsibilities that the person agrees are important or if the person is losing enjoyment for physical activity and feels burned out," there may be a problem. There’s nothing wrong with adding a solid regimen of exercise to your New Year’s resolutions, but try not to overdo it. Exercise can be very healthy, especially in moderation. Here are a few tips to prevent overuse injuries: Stop exercising immediately if you feel pain. It’s usually a sign that something is wrong. If the pain or discomfort persists after you have stopped, seek medical attention. If you are starting a new exercise routine, start slowly and increase gradually. Alternate the type of exercise you do every day. You should get at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise daily and there are a variety of workouts to accomplish this: running, stationary bikes, elliptical trainers, and swimming, for example. Replace your running shoes every 500 miles. The shoes can wear out and lose their ability to absorb shock, which will increase your risk of injury. Women should consume the recommended daily intake of calcium through their diets or vitamin supplements, which is normally 800 to 1200 milligrams. This can lower their risk for stress fractures. Women who are pregnant or post menopausal need more calcium and should consult their doctors. Become familiar with the signs of over exercising, “recognize the symptoms which include physical injury, declining performance, feeling burned out, feeling stale in terms of exercise or loss of motivation,” cautions Rosen. “Be honest with yourself about the impact of your exercise time relative to other responsibilities and people.” If exercising is getting in the way of your daily activities or relationships, you may need to slow down. Sources Hurd WJ, Chmielewski TL, Axe MJ. Differences in normal and perturbed walking kinematics between male and female athletes. Clin Biomech. 2004 Jun;19(5):465-72. DeHaven KE, Lintner DM: Athletic injuries: comparison by age, sport, and gender. Am J Sport Med 1986; 14(3):218-224 Coolnurse.com, Preventing Overuse Injuries, 2004. © December 21, 2004 Society for Women's Health Research
Last updated: August 6, 2004