014. Why it Hurts When You Lift (And How to Fix it) | Dr. Anthony Petrarca

Today we sit down with my good friend and chiropractor, Anthony Petrarca. From receiving treatment when he was an athlete, to watching his dad grow his chiropractic business, Anthony has been around chiropractic care his entire life.

We start off the interview by examining the most common injuries in the fitness space. We examine what causes them, how to treat them, and how to avoid them in the future. 

First, the disclaimer - while Anthony is a doctor of chiropractic care, he's giving general guidelines for injuries in the gym. If you injure yourself in the gym, you should seek medical attention. 

The first area of injury we examine is the lower back. If you squat, deadlift, and row, you've probably aggravated this at some point in your lifting career. Common injuries to this area include muscle strain, disc injury, and SI ligament sprain. Treatment will vary depending on the issue, but keeping your form tight and examining your medical history will go a long way to avoiding this type of injury in the future. 

Another issue that many fitness enthusiasts deal with is a shoulder injury. This could be your pec, bicep, or the rotator cuff. We get off on a bit of a tangent with the barbell bench press on this section. Spoiler, you don't have to barbell bench press.  

Lastly we look at elbow pain. This is near and dear to my heart because I injured my elbow several years ago and it hasn't been the same since. I can say with confidence that when I get consistent treatment, it feels much better. 

When you're analyzing what's causing your pain in the gym, analyze load, range of motion, and velocity. If the load is causing the issue, you might be trying to do too much too fast. If the range of motion is causing the issue, you might be trying too hard to mimic a technique that works for someone else, but obviously not you. If the speed of the movement is causing the pain, lighten it up and slow it down. 

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