Exercise is all about becoming fit and healthy. When you hear about it, you don’t consider that it may stab you in the back sometimes. Yet, it does. It is all too common that injuries occur while exercising, and while they may not be too bad sometimes, they are still hindrances and annoying. Often, injuries occur because of incorrect form or ego lifting (lifting weight heavier than you can do). Typically, these cause pulls or tweaks that, while uncomfortable and painful for a short time, will fade without much harm. The real fear, however, comes from unexpected and seemingly unprovoked injuries.

I’m sure many people have seen THAT video of the bodybuilder incline benching an absurd amount of weight, struggling to get the bar up. Everything was looking good; the bar was still moving; he was under control; he had a spotter. Then, in a split second, his chest muscle rips from his body, completely pulling from the bone in a terrifying moment. Horrible, right? Yet, not all injuries have to be that terrible, and many can be treated and quickly fixed.

My remedy is ibuprofen. This wonder drug for pains, tweaks, and soreness associated with the gym is my go-to for pesky injuries. Does your lower back hurt? Ibuprofen. Did you pinch a nerve in your neck? Once again, ibuprofen. Also, old-school ice packs do the trick, reducing inflammation and swelling. But who wants any of that? Wouldn’t it be perfect to take steps to prevent this pain in the first place?

Lifting equipment can prevent many gym injuries, the most common of which is lower back injuries. The lifting belt is a savior for many people. It is the most common piece of equipment brought to the gym. Try going and finding no one with a belt. I bet you can’t. This is because adding just a little external support as a supplement to the human body can work wonders for preventing those minor and horrific gym injuries. However, sometimes dumb things just happen, and I was fortunate enough to have this happen to me the other day.

No one thinks about their teeth when exercising. It seems like the one piece of the body that cannot get hurt too bad. But I have managed to injure mine. I smacked my jaw with a bar, jolting my bottom teeth into the top, and the automatic “oh no” flew through my mind. Feeling pieces of a tooth in my mouth, disconnected from their respective locations ON my tooth, was not a good feeling. While the pain was not bad, the shame was inevitable. So, avoid stupid injuries, especially preventable ones. Otherwise, that shameful text to the family group chat asking about dental insurance could be on your horizon.