Fitness Gym Accidents

• Wednesday, 04 May 2022

You expected a fun, productive day at the gym when you suddenly find yourself injured and barely able to move. Regular physical activity is a crucial part of keeping yourself fit. However, it can sometimes result in gym injuries, especially if the facility or gym equipment isn’t well-maintained or you follow bad advice.

In Canada, 35% of injuries occur during sports or fitness activities. Two-thirds of injuries among young people aged between 12 to 19 are sports-related. Between 2019 and 2020, Quebec and Ontario had the highest number of hospitalizations from sports injuries, with 6,828 sports injuries in Quebec and 5,851 in Ontario.

While physical activity sometimes involves physical risks, injuries caused by negligence, especially in controlled environments, such as fitness gyms, require and demand accountability.

Serious exercise injuries could affect other areas of your life, such as your overall health and livelihood. A good personal injury lawyer could assist you in this area and help you get the compensation you need. Gym members must know their legal options, especially regarding fitness centre injuries.

Of course, talking to a Diamond & Diamond lawyer doesn’t mean having to immediately go to court. You can call us for a free evaluation and we’ll help you explore your options when it comes to addressing your fitness centre injuries.

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The Most Common Gym Injuries

Everyone has different fitness goals, but it’s highly likely that injuring oneself isn’t one of them. A severe injury case could lead to chronic pain and other long-term ailments.

Specific causes of such injuries usually stem from poor posture and trying to do too much too fast. Gym members need to know how to position themselves and move in a way that doesn’t put undue strain on their musculoskeletal system.

One way to minimize the risk of injury is to work with a certified personal trainer. They could guide you through your fitness activities, ensuring your form is correct, thus avoiding any kind of untoward incident. 

If you end up injured, seek medical assistance immediately. Finding an excellent personal injury lawyer is also vital to help explore your legal options and get the compensation you deserve.

Foot and Ankle Injury

Like many sports injuries, foot and ankle injuries in the gym are a whole-body affair. They often result from poor posture throughout the day, resulting in a misaligned centre of gravity that puts most of your weight on your foot.

This common injury could also occur from running on uneven surfaces, landing incorrectly after a jump, tripping, falling, or a sudden impact. Although appropriate for exercise, running shoes with higher heels could also worsen these effects and cause injuries.

 To prevent foot and ankle injuries, proper posture throughout the day and when exercising are critical. It would also help to use shoes with a more level sole, especially if your normal posture isn’t that great.

Learn Your Rights When You Get Injured at an Ontario Gym

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Knee Injury

A sedentary lifestyle is the primary culprit in many gym injuries. Without warming up, jumping into a highly demanding physical activity, such as kickboxing, could stress out and injure your knees. Some other causes of knee injuries are:

• Awkward and sudden movements
• Overuse
• Collisions and falls
• Excessive force

When trying to prevent knee injuries, it’s essential to strengthen your hips and knees to ensure that they can take the stresses of your fitness activities. Forward and backward lunges are great for this purpose.

Lower Back Injury

Lower back strain is a common injury in daily life, even during regular activities or exercise. They are often exacerbated by poor posture and weak muscles, especially in the back and abdomen. 

If one has a weak back but immediately begins to lift heavy weights, they might injure them. Severe cases might even involve a spinal cord injury, which could be devastating for the victim and their loved ones.

To prevent lower back injuries while working out, it’s important to stretch and warm up before jumping into your fitness activities. You could also incorporate these stretches into your daily life, especially if you’re not as physically active outside of the gym.

Shoulder Injury

Shoulder injuries often occur due to activities that involve intense and repetitive overhead arm movements, such as swimming, lifting free weights, playing tennis or pitching. However, they could also result from everyday activities, such as gardening and hanging up curtains.

To prevent this common type of injury, it’s essential to balance your shoulder rotations. If you’ve been doing internal rotations for an extended period of time, such as when typing away at your office job or doing push-ups at the gym, do external rotations as well. 

These balancing exercises could be as simple as stretching your arms and shoulders outward or trying out rowing, which is more involved.

Neck Injury

Severe neck injuries often involve some degree of impact. However, something as innocuous as poor posture could affect your neck. Sitting down with your head hunched for a good while could cause pain. Keeping this posture on the bench press puts significant strain on your back and neck.

To avoid further damage, make sure to watch your form when working out, especially when exercising with weights. Consult your personal trainer whenever necessary.

Wrist Injury

Wrist sprains or injuries are often caused by bending, twisting or forceful impact, such as injuries you may sustain during an accident. 

Sometimes, however, they could be caused by chronic trauma, such as during push-ups and other activities involving repetitive wrist action. Improper positioning of the hands and wrists is also a common culprit.

To keep your wrists safe, it’s crucial to include wrist stretches and warm-ups before and after working out. Proper form is also necessary to avoid unnecessary strain on your hands and wrists.

What Should I Do After a Gym Injury in Ontario?

After attending to your medical needs, it’s also important to seek legal action so that you can get appropriate compensation. 

Anyone injured in a gym or fitness center can file a personal injury lawsuit against the parties responsible. If you want to take this route, it’s essential to enlist the services of a personal injury lawyer to help your case.

Damages for Fitness Gym Accidents

Victims of a gym-related accident can get monetary compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. An injury, especially when it’s severe, could affect many areas of one’s life. Victims of a gym-related injury or accident could get damages for:

• Medical bills
• Lost income
• Pain and suffering
• Property damage, etc.

What Rights Do You Have If Injured at an Ontario Gym?

Sometimes, a gym-related accident happens for no other reason but one’s own negligence or a lapse in judgment. 

However, suppose you get injured due to faulty equipment, an issue on the premises, bad advice from a personal trainer or other factors under the control of another person or entity. In that case, you have the right to seek compensation.

Ontario’s Occupiers’ Liability Act states that owners or caretakers of certain facilities, including gyms, are responsible for maintaining the safety of gym members and anyone that lawfully enters their premises.

Here are some conditions that may prove the liability of a gym owner or caretaker:

• Faulty or poorly maintained exercise equipment
• Hazardous objects/conditions
• Wet floors
• Lack of first aid equipment
• Failure to post warning signs or instructions for specialized equipment (e.g. saunas)

How a Fitness Gym Accident Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You

It could be challenging to take care of a lawsuit while having to recover from a fitness centre accident, which is why you need the assistance of a personal injury lawyer to get your legal affairs in order.

They help ensure your rights are protected and that you get the compensation you deserve in this tough time.

Were you injured while exercising at gyms or fitness centres due to someone else’s negligence? Get legal advice and be represented by the personal injury lawyers at Diamond and Diamond. Contact us today!

Contact Experienced Ontario Personal Injury Lawyers

Accidents are messy and sometimes inevitable. Nobody wants them to happen. However, facilities, such as gyms and fitness centres, are responsible for keeping their spaces safe for their clients.

You may be eligible for compensation if you are injured due to another party’s intentional or negligent conduct. Serious injuries could severely affect various areas of your life, including your physical and mental health, income and quality of life.

The Ontario personal injury lawyers at Diamond & Diamond are capable and willing to help you navigate your legal options and give valuable advice. Their several years of experience in personal injury laws will also help you get the best possible compensation for your injuries.

You may call our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-567-HURT or visit our website for a free case evaluation.