Do grumbles matter?
Let’s start with what is a grumble?
Think of a grumble as one of those slight but persistent annoyance or discomforts you may feel during sport or an activity.
A grumble might only impact your participation or performance a bit. Maybe they cause a bit of anxiety… You’re sure not gonna lose any activity time because of it. You know the ones…
August long weekend has come and gone (already!). That meant summer clean-ups, honey-do lists, and hopefully some outdoor active fun (between all the rain). You weren’t going to let a grumble stop you…
So… Do grumbles matter?
This study looked at “non time loss” physical complaints in professional soccer players. Call them “grumbles”.
The authors found that found that those experiencing non-time loss physical complaints were 3-6x more likely to suffer an injury that did result in missed games/training in the following 7 days!
68% of all time loss injuries during the studied season for these players were preceded by a non time loss injury.
So it seems that paying attention to non time loss aches and pains may help identify players who will go on to develop more serious injuries. At the very least, these ‘grumbles’ should be viewed as a flag to open communication between medical/coach staff and the player to help with injury reduction strategies.
If your body grumbled at you over the long weekend, don’t wait to find out if it matters. Take it as a flag to revisit some of the injury reduction strategies you learned from us in the past.
Not sure what to do? Call us, book a visit to our North York clinc, or book a virtual visit. After hearing the details of your body grumble, we’ll communicate an injury reduction strategy appropriate for you.
The activities you do are your business. Helping you stay active is ours.
