Strength training has never been more popular. The gym has become a staple of modern fitness, from early-morning workouts for young professionals to resistance training for adults in their 40s and 50s who wish to live longer. The benefits are obvious: stronger muscles, better bones, better metabolism and more mental wellness.
But there's a downside to it that many fitness junkies miss. “We’re seeing more and more patients with injured joints and soft tissues from the pursuit of fitness, and the injuries are preventable.
A new study released in 2025, looking at emergency room data from 2013 through 2022, finds that with more people doing resistance training, injuries from weight training are increasing. The most common locations affected are the shoulder, lower back, knee, elbow and wrist.
One of the biggest myths is that you can only get injured if you are lifting incredibly heavy weights. In reality, poor technique, poor recuperation, muscle imbalances and ego-driven progression are far more common culprits.
The lower back is usually the first to respond. Bad form deadlifts, squats, and bent-over rows can put unnecessary stress on the lumbar spine. Stiffness after a workout can turn into damage to the discs, sciatica and chronic back pain. Many gym-goers ignore the warning signs – until pain from everyday activities, such as sitting, driving or climbing stairs, sets in.
The shoulder is another susceptible joint. In 2024, a study found that shoulder injuries accounted for 22% to 39% of training injuries among functional fitness athletes, the most across numerous sports performed in the gym.
Bench presses, overhead presses and heavy snatches demand a lot from the rotator cuff and surrounding stabilising muscles. Tendons of the rotator cuff may become inflamed (tendinopathy), pinched (impingement syndromes) or torn from overuse.
An elite weightlifting study in 2025 revealed a shockingly high percentage of rotator cuff-related shoulder problems. This shows how vulnerable the shoulder can be when it is not allowed to recover or when the technique is ignored.
Knees are just as vulnerable.
Deep squats, lunges and plyometrics can irritate the patellar tendon, cartilage and meniscus, especially when done with poor alignment or excessive training volume. Many athletes overlook recurring knee discomfort as “normal gym soreness” until the pain starts to interfere with their movement in everyday life.
For recreational lifters, the most important lesson may be this: discomfort is feedback, not weakness. Do not ignore ongoing joint pain, swelling, clicking, reduced range of motion or weakening. Pain while training, if ignored, frequently develops into chronic long-term conditions affecting day-to-day activities.
The most fit folks at the gym are frequently not the ones lifting the most weight. They are the ones who prioritise skill over ego, recovery over repetition, and consistency over intensity. Good warm-up and cool down, progressive loading, appropriate sleep, mobility exercise and frequent rest days are still the best injury prevention measures.
Fitness should be something that makes you feel good, not something that causes you to get hurt and need treatment that may have been avoided.
The author is a senior consultant and orthopaedic surgeon at HOSMAT Hospitals.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.
