Why Winter Is the Best Time to Fix Your Nagging Injuries
- Dr. Annie Barnes, DPT, OCS
- Dec 22, 2025
- 3 min read
By AntiFragile Physical Therapy, Asheville NC
For a lot of people, winter feels like a pause button. Training slows down. Schedules shift. Motivation dips. And those little aches and pains you’ve been “managing” all year? They’re still there, just quieter.
At Antifragile Physical Therapy, we actually think winter is the best time to finally address nagging injuries and movement limitations. Not because you’re broken, but because timing matters when it comes to building a resilient body.
Here’s why winter might be your secret weapon.
1. Training Naturally Decreases, and That’s Not a Bad Thing
For runners, cyclists, field sport athletes, and recreational lifters alike, winter is often the off-season. Mileage drops. Competition schedules thin out. Intensity is lower.
That creates something rare: space.
When you’re not chasing PRs, races, or game-day performance every week, your body actually has the capacity to adapt. This is when we can:
Address strength deficits
Improve joint mobility
Correct faulty movement patterns
Gradually reload tissues that have been irritated for months
Trying to “fix” pain in the middle of peak season often feels like putting out a fire while running. Winter gives us room to rebuild instead of constantly reacting.
2. Pain You Ignore Now Shows Up Louder in Spring
We see this every year. Someone scales way back in winter, then spring hits (longer runs, heavier lifts, more leagues, more yard work) and suddenly their knee, shoulder, or back pain is very real again.
The problem isn’t spring training.The problem is jumping back into high demand without preparing the system first.
If you’ve been less active (or inconsistently active) during winter, your tissues still need a ramp-up phase. PT during this time helps you:
Maintain baseline strength
Keep joints tolerant to load
Build capacity gradually instead of rushing
So when spring arrives, you’re not starting from zero and hoping for the best.
3. Winter Is the Perfect Time to Get Stronger
Pain often isn’t about damage, it’s about capacity.
Many nagging injuries stick around because tissues never quite got strong enough to handle what you ask of them. Winter is ideal for focused strength work because:
There’s less pressure to “perform”
Recovery demands are lower
Progress can be slower, steadier, and more intentional
This is where real change happens; not quick fixes, not passive treatments, but building a body that can handle stress better next season.
That’s what antifragile really means.
4. You Don’t Need to Be in Pain to Benefit from PT
Physical therapy isn’t just for when things hurt.
Winter is an excellent time to work on:
Movement efficiency
Lifting mechanics
Running form
Return-to-training plans
Injury prevention strategies
Think of it as maintenance and optimization, not rehab. We’d much rather help you stay ahead of problems than meet you when you’re sidelined.
5. Small Work Now = Big Payoff Later
Fixing nagging injuries doesn’t mean stopping everything you enjoy. It means being intentional about how you train when demands are lower.
A little consistency now can mean:
Fewer flare-ups in spring
More confident training
Better performance
Less frustration
Winter is when resilient athletes are built - quietly, patiently, and intentionally.
The Bottom Line
If something has been “kind of bothering you” all year, winter is your opportunity to finally address it - without pressure, without rushing, and without sacrificing the activities you love.
Spring doesn’t have to be a painful restart.
If you want help using the off-season to get stronger, move better, and build a body that’s ready for what’s next, we’d love to work with you.
This is how we train for the long game. Give us a call to schedule an appointment or inquire online here.
Sources:
https://www.uchealth.org/today/rest-and-recovery-for-athletes-physiological-psychological-well-being
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