Parkour Pains (Beginning)

[Xander]

ok, i live in Santa Clara, CA (about 1 mile away from Cupertino High School) and i was practicing on the structures near a shopping plaza near where i live. anyway, i went behind (what used to be) the Anderson's TV store and dropped off of a wall and then did a roll. my left foot has been sore ever since and i kept practicing on some structures in a plaza across the street (the Safeway plaza)

is it good to keep practicing even if you're sore from something that happened earlier? or will it just make it worse?

(it doesn't hurt, it's just sore)

[SafeNSure]

haha... you're gonna get the whole spectrum of answers on this (and remember none of it constitutes or substitutes medical or professional advice!), but few people are gonna ask first a couple of questions, which would make any suggestion better based:
- what happened to the left foot?
- to what part of the foot?
- how sore? Does it ache when you touch it, at rest? When you walk on it? When you jump-land-push off?
- how long does soreness occur? While you train (even after warming up)? At home at night? The following morning? All the time?

Whatever the answers, soreness is a form of minor trauma, or even of microscopic tearing of muscles/tendons; it's a sign that you might be:
- not hydrated enough
- not warmed up enough
- not stretching properly
- exercising too violently
- exercising too abruptly (from not exercising)
- not cooling down properly
- not resting enough
- exercising excessively, and finally
- simply practicing a complete new form of exercise
(but don't write off all other causes, and jump to the last obvious one, for convenience...)

Now if aches and pains are minor, they are simply indications that muscles are adapting to your new exercising program, and mild soreness comes with any kind of physical activity, especially when beginning a new type training.
In general, if you're not sore to the touch and you have your full range of motion, a light activity will stimulate blood circulation to the muscles favoring recovery, but -by any mean- if pain persists or increases over a week or so you may want to see a doctor.

[Fyrel]

Better to be safe than sorry; just keep in mind "to be and to last". Give yourself plenty of time to heal. You can always condition instead if you're not sure.

[b2c]

YES..DUHHH

[marisa]

My experience is limited, but in general I'd say if the pain is sharp or shooing, stop. If it hurts more after working it, stop. If it hurts about the same or feels better after you've warmed up, you might be good to go.

[Seng]

Here's a pretty interesting NYTimes article about why not to see a doctor when you get discomfort or pain during athletic activity.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/fashion/01best.html

Of course, the crux is that experience will give the best understanding of your own body but, like parkour, that is a long-term process.

[SafeNSure]

...very interesting insight!
"...red flags that should prompt you to get medical attention, Dr. Musahl said: pain that gets progressively worse, pain at rest or at night, joint swelling or bruises that do not heal, and knees or elbows or other joints that lock or seem unstable."

[Farhaan]

soo lets say i just did a day of parkour.. how long should i rest?

[Bay Area Parkour]

...question repeated and answered here.