Exercise for a sore throat

definition

Sore throats are uncomfortable and can be the first sign of a cold or a viral infection. With a sore throat, the throat area is inflamed and there is a dry, rough feeling in the throat.

A sore throat is accompanied by a weakening of the immune system and the body is busy fighting off the infection. Athletes who ignore these symptoms are putting their health at great risk, as sore throats should not be underestimated when exercising.

You can find out how long a sore throat can last in our article Duration of a sore throat - what is normal?

Exercise for a sore throat and runny nose

Many people can hardly avoid a cold or a cold, especially in the cold months, and so the question arises how to deal with a cold and doing sports. Almost half of all athletes ignore the cold and go about their sporting activities as usual. Young people in particular do not allow themselves to be disturbed by a cold and continue to do their sport regularly. However, many do not know what risk they are exposing themselves if they continue to exercise with a cough and / or runny nose.
Many people know that walks in the fresh air are good for the immune system. However, only a few people know that doing sports with a cold can lead to health problems. Typically, if you have a cough or runny nose, some medication is taken and the cold is gone (see also: Cold medicines). However, will the medication only combats the symptoms, not the cause. Those affected are fine again and feel healthy. However, they did not cure the infection, they simply carried it off.
As a result of this procrastination, the runny nose can develop into a more dangerous disease, the Myocarditis. Myocarditis is a disease that can be fatal. Often a delayed cold is the reason for the development of myocarditis. The disease can also be chronic or other side effects can occur.

Exercise for a sore throat without a fever

Illnesses that are associated with fever should lead to a break in sports in any form. The body temperature is increased and would increase even further through exercise.
In the case of illnesses without a fever, however, this does not automatically mean that the sport can simply be continued. Colds, coughs and runny noses are, regardless of their severity, a weakening of the body's immune system and should therefore be treated first before exercising on the body again.
A rule of thumb on the subject of returning to the sport is: Sport may only be practiced again when the symptoms of the cold / cough / runny nose have subsided. This break should also be given to the body's immune system so as not to drag the disease away. Short walks with warm clothes, on the other hand, are always recommended, and the body gets a little exercise in the fresh air.

Do you also have to cough? Then read here: Exercise for coughs

Exercise during a cold with a sore throat

Everyone has had a cold at least once in their life and their noses runny and coughs and runny nose were the order of the day. If you have a cold the upper respiratory tract is infected by viruses (see also: Cold viruses).
The body reacts with a focus of inflammation to fight the viruses. The fight against the viruses costs the body a lot of energy and therefore you usually feel very tired and flat when you have a cold. Exercise increases blood circulation, body temperature (through muscle work) and thus also circulation and pulse. As a result, the circulatory system of our organism is stressed in addition to the common cold. This can lead to a Worsening of the disease to lead. Therefore, all recommendations are always based on an appropriate break.
If you still want to do sports, you should definitely Decrease intensity and volumeso that the stress on the body does not become too high. It can also be decisive whether it is a mild or severe cold, whether it is accompanied by a fever or not. Exercise is definitely not recommended if you have a severe and / or febrile cold. Competitive athletes who are in the training phase should seek the advice of their doctor and not determine their workload on their own.

Exercise for chronic sore throats

In the case of chronic sore throats, the root cause the disease to be clarified. Most of the time, the chronic sore throat does not come from viral infections or bacterial inflammation, but is often functional complaints. always Recurring infections are the second most common reason for chronic sore throats. Depending on the origin of the disease, you can do sports or take a break.
With chronic sore throats should always first see a doctor. If the symptoms of the chronic sore throat have cleared up, exercise can be started if necessary. In the case of functional complaints, for example, exercise can be continued normally. The exclusion criterion is the athlete's individual pain perception. In the case of recurring infections, however, the disease should first heal completely before the sports program is resumed.