Whether you’re playing a team sport or training for a half marathon, your goal often is to reach your physical best. And while it might seem counterintuitive, taking regular rest days is part of optimizing your physical performance.
Getting your body to recover is key to preventing injury, says Samantha Vandenhouten, a Physical Therapist with ThedaCare. That means taking either short-term/active recovery or long-term recovery, depending on your situation or chosen activity.
Short-term Recovery
Short-term recovery, also known as active recovery, is for athletes who engage in endurance activities, such as running 6 miles or more per day.
This type of recovery involves cooling down with low-impact physical activity that increases the blood circulation moderately. That’s important to help the body remove waste products in the muscles that get created during a heavier workout, Vandenhouten said.
The presence of those waste products causes muscle soreness. Injuries can occur more easily when an athlete has increased soreness and stiffness in the muscles and joints.
“When you have that chronic soreness or tiredness — all of that can mean you feel weaker or more fatigued, and then it impacts your form,” Vandenhouten says.
When form suffers, it can affect stride and other types of movement. That can lead to injury.
“But if you do that active type of recovery, it improves blood flow, gets nutrients to those muscles, and helps them build and repair,” Vandenhouten says.
Some good low-impact activities during the short-term recovery period can include biking, stretching, foam rolling, or yoga.
Long-term Recovery
A long-term recovery is best for those who regularly participate in sports or engage in other activities such as dance, track, swimming, or weightlifting. It usually means planning for one rest day with no activity every seven to 10 days, at least.
Vandenhouten works with all ages of individuals in clinic as well as with athletes within the Appleton-area high schools. She often sees knee injuries like patellar tendonitis and Achilles tendonitis, as well as more significant injuries like ACL tears or patellar dislocations, she says.
Persuading students to take time off can be tricky. It’s sometimes hard for an athlete to imagine sitting out of a game.
“But I say, ‘Yes, you don’t get to play in this game tonight, but you’ll feel better and you’ll get to play the whole season,’” Vandenhouten says. “What I always stress to them is recovering the proper way — using one or two rest days within a week — will prevent injury in the future.”
For those who play multiple sports throughout the year, Vandenhouten encourages taking a week or two off in between.
“You don’t want to cause injury that will prevent you from playing in the future,” she says. “I try to have them look at the broader scope of how will this impact them long term if they don’t take a break today.”
And in the off-season, cross-training is key to keeping muscles and joints conditioned.
“I love when kids play multiple sport,” Vandenhouten says. “I think it’s a lot better for them because they’re using all different muscles and joints.”
Recovery After Major Events
For those who take part in a major event such as a marathon, it’s best to take a full week of long-term of recovery. This provides an opportunity for the body to repair itself. During that time, low-level, non-impactful activity is fine. Biking, yoga, and stretching can all help the body recover, Vandenhouten says.
An athlete herself, Vandenhouten played basketball and volleyball. She’s also participated in half and full marathons. She learned the importance of taking rest days several years ago following a marathon. She continued running without taking the recommended time off. This led to a stress fracture in her foot.
“Not the best example, but I’ve learned from that,” Vandenhouten says. “Taking breaks is important so you can prevent injury in the future.”
Build Slowly
And when you’re working your way up to an activity like a race, no matter the distance, building endurance and stamina is key. That might mean running from three to five days per week with a two-day rest break in between, or adding at least one day of strength training. This helps change up your routine.
“If someone only runs, that repetitive motion can cause injury,” Vandenhouten says.
And remember, rest breaks are important for individuals of any age.
“Everyone needs that at least one day of break per week,” Vandenhouten says. “But for those older individuals who are more deconditioned, they may need to take a few more rest breaks to help their body recover because it’s not used to that type of load on their joints and muscles.”
You can talk to your primary care provider to connect to physical therapy care or schedule directly using MyThedaCare. Select ‘Schedule an Appointment,’ ‘Specialty Clinics,’ ‘Therapy,’ ‘Physical Therapy.’
Have an injury, pain, or strain?
Visit ThedaCare Orthopedic Walk-in Care, open seven days a week
