WHY INJURIES SPIKE IN SPRING AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
Every September and October, our Glen Iris Osteopathic clinic see the same pattern: more hamstring strains, back flare-ups, sore knees and shoulders. And the one common theme is, too much too soon, after doing too little for too long! This is the winter curse. We loose motivation, we loose routine and conditioning. And sadly try and return to these same levels as soon as day light savings hits!
The good news is that most of these injuries are preventable.
Why spring is injury season!
It isn’t the weather itself that causes injuries. It’s the sudden change in what we ask our bodies to do.
- Your body has deconditioned. After a few months of less activity, your fitness drops and your muscles, tendons and joints are less prepared for the load they used to handle.
- Motivation outpaces readiness. Longer days and sunshine make us want to jump straight back to where we left off, often doing more in a week than we did all month over winter.
- Different tissues recover at different speeds. Your heart and lungs adapt within a few weeks, so you may feel ready before your tendons and joints are. That’s when overload injuries creep in.
- Everything starts at once. Spring sport seasons, fun runs, tennis and big weekends in the garden often begin together, piling new demands onto an underprepared body.
How to Avoid Injuries in Spring
Check in first if you need to
If you have spent a considerable amount of time not exercising, you may want to ensure your body is in a position to start exercising again..
Start low, go slow
Begin at about half of what you used to do and build a little each week. Change one thing at a time: a few more minutes, or an extra session, or a bit more intensity, never all three.
Strengthen, don’t just stretch
Two short strength sessions a week (squats, step-ups, bridges, calf raises, wall push-ups) build the load tolerance that protects muscles, tendons and joints.
Warm up properly
Spend 5–10 minutes with easy movement and dynamic stretches like leg swings and gentle lunges, then ease into your session. Cool down gradually afterwards.
Respect recovery
Leave a rest or easy day between harder sessions, stay hydrated and protect your sleep. Tissues get stronger during recovery, not during the workout.
The Injuries We See Most
Hamstring strains
Common when sprinting or kicking returns quickly, especially in sport and running.
Top Tip: build speed gradually and include hamstring strengthening such as bridges and slow, controlled leg curls, squats, lunges.
Lower back flare-ups
Often triggered by a long day of gardening, lifting or a sudden return to the gym. Top Tip: break big jobs into shorter sessions, vary your positions and keep loads close to your body. respect weights at the gym.
Knee pain
Often at the front of the knee, after a quick jump in running, hills, stairs or squatting.
Top Tip: increase distance and hills slowly, and strengthen your quads and hips. At isometrics, ie wall sits to help load the tendon safely.
Achilles and calf problems
Tendons are slow to adapt, so they often complain after a sudden increase in running, jumping or cycling.
Top Tip: add calf raises to your week and watch for morning stiffness as an early warning sign.
Shoulder and elbow pain
Common with a return to tennis, golf, swimming or overhead garden work like pruning.
Top Tip: ease back into hitting and overhead tasks, and take regular breaks.
Spot the early warning signs
Most overload injuries give you a warning before they become a problem. Ease off and seek help: Here are some common warning signs:
- Pain that builds during a session or is worse the next morning
- Stiffness in a tendon (like the Achilles) that gets worse as you start exercising.
- Soreness that lasts more than two or three days
- Pain that makes you limp or change how you move.
- Sharp knife like pain at the joint.
- Any new numbness or tingling.
Already feeling a niggle?
