As soon as the first warmer days appear, parks and running paths start to fill up. After winter, many people return to running, cycling, or outdoor workouts. This is great news for our health – movement improves fitness, boosts mood, and helps reduce stress.
The problem appears when, after several months of lower activity, we try to immediately return to the same level of fitness we had before winter.
After a period of reduced activity, the body needs time to adapt again to physical load. Muscles, tendons, and joints may not be fully prepared for intense exercise, which is why a sudden return to long runs or hard training sessions often leads to overload injuries.
The most common issues patients visit a physiotherapist for during this time include:
knee pain after returning to running
Achilles tendon overload
lower back pain after the first workouts
tension around the hips and glutes
Fortunately, most of these problems can be prevented.
1. Start with lower volume
The first workouts should be shorter and less intense. Even if you feel capable of doing more, it is worth giving your body 2–3 weeks to adapt.
2. Don’t skip your warm-up
A few minutes of mobility exercises for the hips, spine, and ankles can significantly reduce the risk of overload injuries. This is especially important for activities such as running or functional training.
3. Listen to your body
Pain is not something that should be ignored. If discomfort appears and lasts for several days or increases during movement, it is worth consulting a specialist.
A visit to a physiotherapist is not only necessary when an injury occurs. More and more people use consultations as a preventive step – to check mobility, muscle tension, or movement patterns before starting a new training season.
This can help to:
detect potential overloads before pain appears
improve movement technique
choose exercises that support recovery
Spring is the perfect moment to return to activity and take care of your health. However, it is worth doing it gradually and consciously – this way physical activity will truly benefit your body.
