By Simon Morris, Senior Physiotherapist
January, oh January. The Christmas bells have ceased ringing, the lights and decorations are down and the scales seem to be out of calibration and reading too high!
However, we are still buzzing from fresh New Year’s resolutions and revitalised after some downtime with family and friends. We are ready to tackle the year ahead, whether it be starting pre-season training for your winter sport, that drunken commitment to the 70.3 at a Christmas party or the New Year fitness regimen.
Overuse injuries
Unfortunately, this gusto approach to the new year means we tend to see a lot of overuse injuries. Increasing exercise and activity demands too quickly leads to hundreds of overuse injuries we see and treat at PhyxMe.
Research shows that after a period of not training (through rest, injury or Christmas), then resuming training too rapidly can significantly increase your risk of injury. The majority of injuries will show around the three week mark after resuming training. Therefore, by the end of January or early February we start to see a lot of shin splints, achilles and other tendon issues and muscle strains.
How can I avoid this?
| Be gradual with your return to sport |
| Always perform a dynamic warm up prior to exercise |
| Finish exercise with static stretches for recovery |
If you start to experience any symptoms it is key to see your physio sooner rather than later as most issues can be resolved very quickly when addressed early. The longer you ‘push through the pain’, generally the longer your recovery will be – making that New Year’s resolution harder to achieve.
Remember to prepare your body for the activity you are about to perform, recover appropriately and be sensible with your progressions.
Book an appointment to have your pain assessed by one of our physiotherapists.
Learn more about non-surgical treatment options for tendon problems.
