Welcoming to Spring, Weekend Warriors!
/Dr. Bridget Brondon
Spring is finally here (hopefully!) and with the weather becoming nicer (again, hopefully!), a lot of people are starting to rediscover the outdoors. Many people take this time to become more active and begin exercise programs outside to take advantage of the nice weather. While the mind may be ready for the increase in activity after a long, cold winter spent hibernating inside our homes, sometimes it takes a little while longer for the body to get use to the higher demands we are asking of it once we become more active again.
This is the time of year when we, as podiatrists, begin to see more of these “weekend warriors” in our offices for activity related injuries. Weekend warriors are those whose work schedules keep them busy during the week but have free time for activities on the weekend. Please be aware that the longer you have been inactive, the greater risk you have for sustaining injuries once you start increasing your activity. Examples of problems you might encounter include ankle and foot sprains, tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis.
Now don’t get me wrong, activity is a GOOD thing. It helps to maintain a healthy heart function, lower blood pressure, keep cholesterol and blood sugar under control, maintain a healthy weight, keep arthritic joints moving, boost your immune system, and the list goes on and on. Still, try these helpful tips to keep yourself out of trouble:
- Make sure that you have supportive shoes. If your body doesn’t have a good supportive base to start with, increased stress put on your muscles and joints can tire them out faster making them more prone to injury.
- Also, keep in mind, shoes don’t last forever. Over time, the cushion and support decrease. Treat yourself to a new pair if yours are starting to wear out!
- If you have overdone it one day, take a couple days to recuperate. Your body will need time to rest and heal itself. If you can’t sit still that long, try a lower stress workout, such as swimming or biking, which puts less stress on the body than running or other high intensity workouts.
- Elevate your legs after exercise to help with any swelling. Use ice or over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication to help with any inflammation and soreness as needed.
- If the soreness won’t go away after doing the above for a few weeks, or the pain gets worse, call and make an appointment with your doctor. We want to help you feel better!
The important thing is to ease your way back into the activity so your body has a chance to adjust to the change. Start off slow and work your way up. Don’t try and run a marathon your first day out! Your body needs time to adjust to the increase in activity without overly fatiguing your muscles, joints, etc. The more tired your muscles are, the higher the chance they will become injured. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Give your body a chance to become accustomed to its newly active lifestyle so you can continue to stay active and keep your body healthy!