Paddleboards, Pickleball & Weekend Warriors: Helping Your Body Keep Up with Summer Adventures
Summer has a way of getting us moving.
One weekend might be spent paddleboarding on the water. The next, you're learning pickleball with friends, tackling a hiking trail, kayaking, gardening, or chasing your kids around the beach. These activities are part of what makes summer so enjoyable, but they can also leave your body feeling sore, stiff, or unexpectedly achy.
At Emerge Acupuncture & Wellness, we often see an increase in patients this time of year who aren't injured. They've simply asked their bodies to do more than they're used to. And if we’re being honest… we see at least TWO pickleball injuries a week!
What Is a Weekend Warrior?
A "weekend warrior" is someone who spends most of the week working, sitting, or following a relatively consistent routine, then packs a lot of physical activity into their days off.
There's nothing wrong with that! In fact, staying active is one of the best things you can do for your long-term health!
The challenge is that our tissues adapt to what we do consistently. When we suddenly increase activity, whether it's hours of pickleball, paddleboarding, yard work, or a full day at the beach, our muscles, joints, and connective tissues may struggle to keep up.
Common Areas That Feel the Impact
Different summer activities place different demands on the body.
Paddleboarding and kayaking often challenge the shoulders, upper back, forearms, and core through repetitive paddling.
Pickleball asks for quick starts, stops, pivots, and overhead movements, making the calves, knees, hips, shoulders, and elbows common areas of discomfort.
Beach days and long walks can leave the feet, ankles, and calves working harder than expected, especially when walking on uneven sand (and ESPECIALLY here on our south west Florida soft sand!)
Gardening and yard work often involve prolonged bending, lifting, twisting, and kneeling, contributing to tight hips, low back discomfort, and stiff shoulders.
Sometimes the soreness is simply your body's way of adapting. Other times, it may be a sign that certain muscles are working overtime while others aren't contributing as effectively.
Soreness Is Normal. Pain Isn't!
It's completely normal to feel muscles working after trying something new or increasing your activity level.
Persistent pain, limited mobility, numbness, sharp discomfort, or symptoms that continue for several days deserve more attention.
Ignoring those warning signs can lead to compensation patterns, where the body changes the way it moves to avoid discomfort. Over time, those compensations can create new areas of tension and pain.
How Therapeutic Bodywork Can Help
Bodywork isn't just something to schedule after you're hurting. It can be an important part of recovery and performance, helping your body adapt to the activities you love.
Therapeutic bodywork may help by:
Reducing muscle tension after repetitive activity
Improving mobility and range of motion
Supporting healthy movement patterns
Encouraging circulation to overworked tissues
Helping calm an overactive nervous system
Addressing areas of compensation before they become larger problems
When appropriate, combining bodywork with acupuncture can provide an even more comprehensive approach to recovery by supporting both musculoskeletal function and the body's natural healing processes.
Keep Enjoying the Activities You Love
The goal isn't to avoid adventure or stop playing the sports you enjoy. It's to give your body the support it needs so you can keep saying "yes" to the things that bring you joy.
Whether you're spending weekends on the water, playing another game of pickleball, working in the garden, or exploring Florida's beautiful parks, recovery deserves a place in your routine just as much as movement does.
Your body works hard for you all summer long. Taking time to care for it means you'll be ready for whatever adventure comes next.
Brittany Coblentz, LMT, MSOM
941-500-2594
