Why Summer Activities Are Quietly Wrecking Your Body

Summer Isn't Just More Fun — It's More Risk

Longer days, better weather, and a packed calendar of golf, pickleball, beach trips, and weekend tournaments make summer the most active season of the year. But in Episode 45 of the Movement Driven Podcast, Dr. Greg explains why that same burst of activity is also what drives so many new injuries through the clinic doors each summer.

It's rarely one bad twist or one hard swing. It's the combination of doing more, doing it more often, and doing it in conditions the body isn't used to — all at once.

The Real Reason Summer Injuries Spike

According to Dr. Greg, most summer injuries come down to a simple mismatch: people picking up new or infrequent activities faster than their bodies are ready for. A pickup volleyball game, a return to running, or a new weekly pickleball habit all ask the body to move in patterns — twisting, cutting, jumping — that it hasn't practiced in a while.

None of that means people should sit summer out. His point is simpler: enjoy the season, but recognize that a body that's been sitting at a desk or working out in a controlled gym setting isn't automatically ready for lateral movement, impact, or a full weekend tournament.

How Heat and Humidity Raise the Risk

Florida summers add another layer. Dr. Greg points out that heat and humidity don't just make workouts feel harder — they change how the body performs. Heart rate climbs faster, fatigue sets in sooner, and coordination and movement quality both take a hit, even if it's only a small percentage. Stack that on top of a new activity or an unfamiliar intensity, and the risk compounds quickly.

His advice isn't to avoid the heat, but to respect it: know that your body isn't moving as efficiently in a hot, humid environment as it does indoors, and adjust intensity accordingly.

The Right Way to Ramp Up a New Activity

Dr. Greg's answer for avoiding the "went too hard, too fast" injury is progressive overload — the same principle that applies in rehab and in training. Rather than jumping from occasional movement to a twice-a-week commitment, he recommends starting with shorter sessions at a lower intensity and building up gradually over the course of the summer, so the body arrives at fall stronger instead of sidelined.

He also flags a pattern he sees constantly in sports medicine: injuries like Tommy John surgery tend to show up in spring training, not midseason — a reminder that ramping up volume too quickly is often the real culprit, not the activity itself.

Dr. Greg's Top 3 Injury Prevention Tips

• Build a real strength base. Popular group fitness formats are great for cardio and calorie burn, but Dr. Greg sees many clients who are missing the dedicated strength training needed to handle impact and new movement demands as they age.
• Progress gradually. Whether it's a new sport or one you're returning to after a break, increase frequency and intensity slowly instead of committing to full volume right away.
• Don't ignore small aches. A minor ache that isn't resolving after a few days is worth addressing early. Left alone, it often turns into a bigger, more complicated injury — and a longer road back.

Why More Younger Adults Are Showing Up With Pain

Dr. Greg also shares a trend he's noticed firsthand: more people in their late 30s and early 40s coming in with shoulder and joint pain, often because they want to stay active with young kids or simply don't want to move the way their parents or grandparents did. It's a shift toward proactive care that he sees as a genuinely positive change, even if it means busier clinic days.

Enjoy Your Summer — Just Be Smart About It

Dr. Greg's closing advice: don't wait until the ache has been lingering for months to get it checked out — especially since clinics tend to get busiest right after school starts back up. If you're noticing something isn't quite right, take care of it now so it doesn't cut into your next trip or activity.

Book a free 15-minute discovery call or mention this podcast episode for a $79 first evaluation — a full hour, one-on-one with a doctor of physical therapy. Dr. Greg sees patients at both the Jacksonville and St. Johns locations.



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