For some people, exercise occurs throughout the week, and for others, the weekend tends to be more productive. Others can combine a mix of the two, committing to the gym on weekdays and taking part in sports clubs on weekends when everyone’s off.
If you’re a weekend type who likes to work out or play a sport with a club or friends, then you may find your body can easily become more damaged.
The reason is that if you’re sitting in a desk job all week, the sudden and explosive athletic activity on Saturday or Sunday can create a recipe for joint damage. That micro-trauma that builds up silently can cause a lot of discomfort and pain if it’s not treated or addressed properly.
It’s always good to be mindful of the body, and that includes recognizing the hidden warning signs of joint overload. By doing so, it can help you to modify your approach, protect your body, and then stay active and mobile for longer in life.
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The “Cold-Start” Stiffness on Monday Mornings
If you’re waking up 24 to 48 hours after a game and physically feeling locked up in the knees, hips or lower back, this is the warning sign you need to make a change.
Prolonged inflammatory responses and fluid accumulation that happen within the joint capsules are caused by tissue fatigue. Dismissing this as regular muscle soreness when it’s actually structural tissue fatigue is the danger. If it takes more than a cup of coffee to get the joints moving normally after a game, then it’s likely your cartilage is taking a beating.
That cold-start stiffness is therefore something you shouldn’t simply ignore or dismiss, even if it happens only a few times.
Be mindful of how you feel, especially 24-48 hours after partaking in exercise of any kind, especially high-intensity exercise.
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A Persistent “Catching” or Clicking Sensation
If you feel a distinct mechanical hitch, pop or grind when throwing a ball, squatting or pivoting, then this can be an indication of something that isn’t right.
Swollen tendons or minor labral and meniscus frays can catch on neighboring bone structures during motion arcs.
That continuous friction is something that can wear down the protective cartilage surfaces and accelerate the onset of early osteoarthritis. These noisy joints that are accompanied by a dull ache will often mean your internal mechanisms are misaligned and therefore compromised.
Again, this is something that will become noticeable soon enough, and therefore you want to address it sooner rather than later. The use of shoulder braces can be helpful in this instance as it helps support the joint more and reduces the friction or any further strain from occurring whilst playing sports.
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You Are Compensating by Altering Your Natural Movement
It’s good to be mindful of what your natural movements usually feel and look like when you’re playing sports. It might not be something you notice at first, but if it’s noticed by your fellow players, they’re likely to flag it and ask what’s wrong.
The subtle shifts in your movement pattern, whether that be short-striding while running or throwing a side-arm to avoid tracking through to the top of your shoulder, are a clear visual sign that something needs fixing.
Subconscious neurological guarding happens when the brain changes the muscle activation patterns in order to shield an injured zone.
By using these joints in an abnormal manner, it can trigger secondary issues that spread down to other parts of the body. This includes the lower back, the ankles, or the neck.
While you might feel like you’re doing something to help avoid the shoulder discomfort or the joints in question, you may end up doing more damage to other parts of the body as a result. That changing of how you play is an underlying issue that’s already impacting your biomechanics.
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The Ache That Requires Over-the-Counter Medication to Play
It’s likely something that you may have been doing for a while now when it comes to joint and muscle pain. If it’s an ache that often responds to over-the-counter medication to continue playing, then that’s a warning sign you don’t want to ignore.
Whether it’s popping painkillers to using topical numbing creams and relying heavily on ice packs to get through a casual game, you should be mindful of how this could be impacting your joints in the long run.
Masking inflammatory chemical signals will not stop the physical friction and the structural damage occurring from inside the joint space. By artificially lowering your pain threshold, it causes you to push past the safe structural boundaries, and that can invite acute tears.
If your routine requires a lot of chemical pain management, then your body is urging you to rest and recover, as well as to address any possible permanent damage.
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Reduced Explosive Power and Loss of Joint Stability
Lacking that power to spring or feeling like your knee perhaps gave out slightly is a good indication that you’ve lost some of that joint stability. The same goes for a weakness in your arm or arms when throwing.
Deep muscle inhibition caused by fluid buildup in the joints can weaken the surrounding muscles that keep the bone structures aligned. Unstable joints are highly susceptible to catastrophic injuries like ligament ruptures or complete dislocations in some cases.
If there’s unexplained weakness or loose sensation, it will indicate that your stabilizing ligaments have been overstretched and are struggling to keep up.
Be Aware of the Signs – Don’t Ignore Them
Any form of bodily pain or ache is not something you should simply ignore and put down to muscle or bodily fatigue. Instead, it’s good to be aware of the pain and discomfort and how long it lasts or at least temporarily fades.
Athletic longevity means prioritising your recovery just as much as competition. It’s worth being more aware of your body and how it behaves, making sure to get medical help for any chronic pain you may be experiencing. Your joints are imperative to how you function later on in life, including your mobility, so it’s not something you want to dismiss or ignore.
