The Injury Spike Nobody Talks About

In Episode 47 of the Movement Driven Podcast, Dr. Greg dives into a pattern he sees every single year: the moment summer ends and routines snap back into place, injuries spike. Whether people spent the summer piling on new activities or completely stepped away from their usual workouts, the transition back into a "normal" schedule is where things tend to go wrong.

It's Rarely a New Injury
According to Dr. Greg, the three complaints he sees most — shoulder pain, sciatica, and knee pain — usually aren't new problems. They're old patterns resurfacing once travel, disrupted sleep, and inconsistent routines throw the body out of its usual rhythm. And once one area starts acting up, it tends to set off a chain reaction elsewhere, since the body works as one connected system rather than a set of isolated parts.

Why "Just Rest It" Doesn't Work
Dr. Greg pushes back hard on the old rest-ice-compression-elevation approach for lingering aches. Full rest, in his view, is often one of the worst things someone can do — it leads to deconditioning, stiffness, and a longer road back. Instead, he recommends modifying: swapping out the movements that aggravate an area while staying active in the ways that don't, so strength and conditioning aren't lost while healing happens.

The Real Culprit: Too Much, Too Soon
The biggest driver of the fall injury spike, Dr. Greg explains, is volume — going from little to no activity straight into a full workout schedule because someone feels behind. He breaks down the many ways volume can be adjusted without abandoning a workout altogether: reps, sets, resistance, intensity, range of motion, and speed can all be dialed back individually while someone eases back into a routine, rather than trying to make up for lost time all at once.

Training Around Your Cycle
For women specifically, Dr. Greg addresses a factor that's often overlooked in group fitness settings: hormonal cycles genuinely affect strength and performance, not just how someone feels that day. His advice is to use a predictable cycle as a scheduling tool — building in lower-intensity, mobility-focused weeks around the times performance naturally dips, rather than fighting through it every single week.

The Heat Is Doing More Than You Think
Florida's late-summer heat compounds all of this. Dr. Greg points out that feeling weaker or slower right now often has nothing to do with fitness level and everything to do with temperature — a factor worth remembering before assuming a step backward in training.

You Don't Need a Referral to Get Started
Dr. Greg also clears up a common misconception: in Florida, direct access laws allow anyone to see a physical therapist for up to 30 days without a physician referral, and insurance is required to reimburse for those visits. Most people who come through the clinic haven't seen a doctor first — and for the majority of cases, physical therapy is the fastest way to actually start feeling better, rather than waiting weeks for an appointment that often leads back to physical therapy anyway.

Dr. Greg's Top 3 Tips for Getting Back Into Routine

• Progress gradually. Ease back into volume and intensity over several weeks instead of jumping straight back to where you left off.
• Modify, don't stop. If something's bothering you, adjust around it rather than resting completely.
• Don't sit on it. If an ache or soreness lingers more than five to seven days, that's the sign to get it checked out before it becomes a bigger problem.

The Best Time to Call Was Yesterday
As routines reset for fall, Dr. Greg's advice is simple: don't wait for something you've been ignoring all summer to turn into something bigger. Getting ahead of it now means staying in motion instead of losing weeks to a preventable setback.

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. Visit movementdriven.com or call 904-257-5765 to get started.

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