Tips to Prevent Weekend Warrior Injuries, Aches, and Pains

There are two basic types of athletes. One is a professional athlete who trains in their sport regularly, if not every day. The other is a recreational athlete, sometimes known as a weekend warrior. 

While both can develop an injury, if you fall into the latter group—or train individuals who do—it’s important to know how to keep injuries from occurring. We’ll get into that. 

But first, let’s clarify what a weekend warrior is, some of their most common injuries, and why these injuries occur. Then we’ll share a few tips for injury prevention. This is followed by injury treatment options.

What Is a Weekend Warrior?

A weekend warrior is someone who engages in athletic activity sporadically. Usually, this activity is on weekends, hence the name. This is different from a regular exerciser or sports player who is physically active most days of the week. 

There are several weekend activity options one may choose to pursue. They include hiking, running, basketball, golf, and tennis. Although, any physical activity could be pursued by a weekend warrior. So, this list is far from exhaustive. 

Common Injuries for Weekend Warriors

Weekend warriors have an elevated risk of certain types of injuries. This has caused some to refer to this pattern of living as “weekend warrior syndrome.” 

Here are some of the most common injuries for recreational athletes:

• Strains. A strain occurs when a muscle or tendon is stretched or torn. The hamstrings, quads, and calves are prone to muscle strain injuries.

• Sprains. A sprain refers to a stretched or torn ligament. Ankle sprains are fairly common. So are sprains in the quads, hamstrings, and groin.

• Back injuries. It’s not uncommon for weekend warriors to experience lower back pain. To be fair, low back pain isn’t only an issue for weekend exercisers. But it is common with recreational exercise.

• Shoulder injuries. It’s also common for recreational exercisers to develop a shoulder injury. This includes dislocations and rotator cuff tears.

• Shin splints. A shin splint refers to pain in the front of the lower leg. It is caused by inflammation around the tibia, also known as the shin bone. The medical name for this common injury is medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). 

• Achilles tendinitis. This injury is a result of overuse. This causes the Achilles tendon to become inflamed. Someone with Achilles tendinitis often experiences pain near the heel area.

• Tennis elbow. Also known as lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow involves an overload of tendons near the elbow. This is a common sports injury, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. But it also appears in people who engage in recreational activities.

Some of these injuries are what’s known as an acute injury. An acute injury happens suddenly, such as during a fall. Others are considered chronic injuries or injuries that occur over time. Overuse injury is an example of a chronic sports injury. Overuse injuries are a result of repetitive stress to tissue, ultimately causing damage. And long term, many of these injuries could lead to arthritis later in life.

Weekend Warrior Injury Causes

A 2022 article in the American Journal of Medicine shares some of the causes behind weekend warrior injuries. One is that individuals engaging in sporadic exercise are generally older. And they often live an otherwise sedentary life. So, when they participate in intense physical activity, an injury is likely to occur.

While it may seem like weekend-only physical activities aren’t worth the injury risk, this article’s authors suggest otherwise. They report that, when compared to inactive people, weekend warriors have a 15% to 30% lower risk of death from all causes. This makes finding ways to prevent these injuries preferential to stopping weekend activity altogether.

Tips to Prevent Weekend Warrior Injuries

How does a weekend warrior reduce their injury risk? Here are several injury prevention tips.

• Engage in regular exercise. One of the reasons injuries are common with weekend warriors is that their activity is sporadic. This makes regular exercise critical to remaining injury free. Try to get in a workout several days a week. This helps prepare the body for a weekend activity.

• Don’t forget to strength train. Stronger muscles can better withstand physical activity. So, do strength training exercises at least two times per week. Work the muscles in your upper body, lower body, and core. This helps build whole-body strength.

• Make warming up a priority. Jump into intense exercise too quickly and this can easily lead to injury. Before any intense activity, take the time to warm up. Dynamic stretching is one option that can also help improve sports performance. Other good warm-up exercises include walking knee hugs, arm circles, and standing torso twists.

• Use proper form. Using improper form when doing anything physically active increases injury risk. If you’re going to engage in an activity, learn the proper positions and movements. This helps protect you from what is likely an avoidable injury. 

• Watch your intensity. If you’re playing a sport you love, it’s easy to become so involved that you push your body harder than you should. While this is understandable, it also raises your risk of injury. Strive to always stay aware of your intensity. Dial it back if you notice that you may be pushing yourself too hard.

• Cross train. Cross training helps prevent overtraining injuries by reducing repetitive stress. If you normally run on weekends, for instance, work in swimming, Pilates, or some other activity. This gives the muscles used during runs time to recover.

• Invest in the right equipment. Some injuries are the result of wearing old, worn-out shoes or equipment that doesn’t properly fit. You can avoid both of these scenarios by investing in the right equipment. 

• Stop if you feel pain. Pain is an indicator that something is wrong. This is different from the muscle soreness or occasional aches you might get after overdoing it. If what you’re feeling is pain, stop the activity. If you don’t, what may start as a minor issue can turn into a major injury.

Treating a Weekend Warrior Injury at Home vs Seeking Medical Treatment

Some weekend warrior injuries can be treated at home. If the pain is relatively minor, it may be resolved with the RICE method: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. 

If the injury is a result of tightness, massage therapy may help. Massage helps relax soft tissue. It also improves circulation to the damaged area. Both assist with the healing process.

If the pain is more severe or won’t go away, medical treatment may be needed. Make an appointment with your healthcare provider. Alternatively, go to the emergency room. This enables the injury to be properly diagnosed. You’ll also receive guidance on the next treatment steps.

In some cases, physical therapy may be recommended. A physical therapist can help improve range of motion. They also know how to manage pain through movement. Physical therapists help monitor your progress. They can tell you when it’s safe to return to your weekend activity once again.

If the injury is severe, you may be referred to an orthopedic surgeon. This is a likely course of action if you have major damage to a bone, joint, muscle, tendon, or ligament. Surgical intervention may be required to repair the injury.

The Bottom Line

In the end, establishing a regular exercise routine is a simple action that can go a long way in injury prevention. You can play a critical role in this process as a personal trainer, helping weekend warriors develop a regular exercise routine. 

If this is of interest to you, ISSA offers a Personal Trainer Certification course. This training program provides the tools needed to help your recreationally active clients engage in safe exercise all week long.

References

1. Hartnett, D. A., Milner, J. D., & DeFroda, S. F. (2022). The weekend warrior: Common shoulder and elbow injuries in the recreational athlete. The American Journal of Medicine, 135(3), 297–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.08.015 

2. Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis). OrthoInfo. (2021). Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/tennis-elbow-lateral-epicondylitis/