Weekend Warriors

Particularly after a heavy session of sporting activities or exercise, the weekend warrior often complains of the body feeling sore the next day.

Soreness is a common consequence of sports and exercise. It is often said that one has to accept soreness as an inevitable part of exercising. It’s an indication that one has exercised well.

However, it is important to know that soreness after exercise usually eases off within 16-24 hours. If there is any soreness still felt thereafter, it means that you have potentially over-reached and over-exercised your current capabilities.

Here too, prevention is better than cure. Understand that the pre-exercise or pre-sport “warm up-stretching-game-warm-down” cycle allows for a gradual easing of the body into and out of exercise.

This prevents potential injury and eases recovery.

Furthermore, soreness can be negated by cryotherapy, post-exercise or post-sport. This can be via the use of custom-made icepacks, or simply, crushed ice placed in a plastic bag and wrapped in a moist towel.

Cryotherapy applications, two to three times for 20 minutes each time, every two hours, often helps in superficial joint injury in the shoulder, knee and ankle.

Stiffness felt on the morning after exercise is often relieved by the application of heat – often simply by a warm shower.