Summer is the time for holidays, family days out, gardening and enjoying the longer evenings. Unfortunately, it’s also the time when many people discover that knee, back, shoulder or foot pain starts limiting what they can do.
At The Reinge Physio Clinic in Kenilworth, a common complaint is:
“I was hoping it would settle, but now it’s stopping me enjoying my summer.”
The good news is that many painful conditions respond quickly to the right treatment and advice. Understanding why the pain is happening is often the first step towards getting back to doing the things you love.
Why does pain often feel worse during the Summer?
It’s not that summer causes pain. It’s that we suddenly become much more active.
You might be:
- Walking more on holiday.
- Spending hours gardening.
- Playing with grandchildren.
- Tackling DIY projects.
- Playing golf or cycling.
- Sitting for long car journeys or flights.
If your muscles and joints aren’t prepared for this increase in activity, old problems often flare up.
Common summer activities that can trigger pain.
Walking Holidays
Walking often increases on holiday, whether you mean it to or not, and this can make a niggle turn into pain. Flip flops, crocs and sandals are perfect for the summer, but if your feet are weak, the less supportive shoe may suddenly show up issues you didn’t realise you had. That knee pain that has suddenly started for example may have come from your feet. The good news is that foot strength and biomechanics can usually be improved quickly with the right assessment and exercises.
Gardening
Gardening always increases as the sun starts to shine, the weeds appear from nowhere and suddenly you are kneeling, lifting chopping and mowing like mad. This can often create shoulder, neck and back pain. Often this increased activity simply causes your posture to move out of alignment. A combination of hands-on treatment and targeted strengthening is often enough to get you moving comfortably again.
Long Journeys
Cars and planes are never great for our posture. Planes in particular can create a lot of stiffness in our backs, shoulders and hips. Long hours in traffic in the car are not friendly to our bodies either. Try to break up long car journeys wherever possible and have a short walk rather than just going from sitting in the car to sitting in the services! Some airports offer a massage service which is especially useful if you are going long haul, but we can always loosen you up with a sports massage if you have had a particularly gruelling journey.
Playing With Grandchildren
Childcare is always an issue over the summer and most parents, us included, end up calling grandparents in at some point. Of course grandparents aren’t as agile as they once were, so get ahead of the game here and come on in for a pre-holiday assessment and we can get you into tip top condition before those holidays hit!
Should you rest or keep moving?
People often feel pain and immediately stop to rest, but the reality is that where muscular pains are concerned, rest is rarely the answer.
If there has been no acute injury, e.g you didn’t trip, fall or have an accident, then most pain is due to biomechanical reasons. And no amount of rest will alter those biomechanics. Targeted strength and loosening is generally the solution to biomechanical problems, but it is important to work out which muscles need to be strengthened and which need to be loosened.
For example, let’s say you just came off a long-haul flight and you have been seated for 12hrs plus. Your pelvis is very likely to have tipped into an anterior position, due to the hip flexors shortening. This can create stiffness and pain in your lower back. The key is to stretch or loosen those hip flexors to allow your pelvis to return back to a neutral position. Then the “core” muscles need to be woken up with a simple exercise to start it doing its job again.
When should you see a Physiotherapist?
Ideally come and see us when you only have a niggle rather than full pain. Niggles are generally quicker and easier to treat, meaning you need less sessions and can get back to summer fun much faster.
It’s worth seeking advice if:
- Pain is stopping you enjoying normal activities.
- Walking has become uncomfortable.
- Pain keeps returning.
- You’re avoiding activities you enjoy.
- You’re worried about an upcoming holiday.
Early treatment often means faster recovery and can prevent small problems becoming bigger ones.
How Physiotherapy can help.
At The Reinge Physiotherapy Clinic in Kenilworth, we don’t just look at where it hurts.
We look at why it hurts.
By assessing your movement, strength and biomechanics, we can identify the underlying cause of your symptoms and develop a treatment plan tailored to your holiday goals, whether that’s walking around a city on holiday, enjoying the garden or getting back onto the golf course.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Can Physiotherapy help before I go on holiday?
Yes. Even a short course of treatment, combined with the right exercises and advice, can often make holidays much more comfortable.
Is walking good for arthritis?
Any movement is good for arthritis, but depending on how advanced the arthritis is, you may need the assistance of bracing or walking poles to enjoy your holiday.
Why do my knees hurt more on holiday?
We tend to be a lot more active on holiday, interestingly we often get reports that knees and joint pain improves while people are on holiday. When they leave the desk behind for a week or two and move more, they start to feel better. If this is you then you absolutely need to come on in for an assessment, as some targeted strength work is very likely to resolve your knee pain.
Should I wait until after my holiday?
Not necessarily. We can often get quite quick improvements in pain and this will mean you can enjoy your holiday much more and do the things you want to rather than limiting yourself.
Enjoy your summer
Don’t let pain stop you enjoying the things you’ve been looking forward to.
Whether you’re planning a holiday, spending time with family or simply making the most of the sunshine, getting the right advice early can make all the difference. If just the thought of pain is limiting your summer plans, we’d be happy to help.
Common summer injuries we treat
- Knee pain
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Shoulder pain
- Hip pain
- Foot pain
- Plantar fasciitis
- Sciatica
- Tendon injuries
- Sports injuries
The Reinge Physio Clinic, Kenilworth
Physiotherapy | Sports Therapy | Sports Science