A fever after exercise is not a typical symptom that you should expect from low to moderate physical training. However, some participants occasionally experience an increased post-exercise body temperature. This is most likely due to an increase in exercise training load or other factors, such as a hot environment. A fever is your body's protective response to infection and should not be ignored if you experience one after exercise.
Excessive Exercise Load
An abrupt increase in intensity from your normal exercise routine or participating in an unusual exercise load can cause a great deal of muscle damage in your body. Your muscles can by affected by both endurance and resistance training in heavy loads. Some endurance race participants experience a mild fever post-race, especially if they did not train adequately or consistently. Severe muscle damage leads to a series of reactions that may induce a fever. If your temperature does not return to normal or continues to increase, seek medical attention. Complete muscle recovery should be allowed before resuming exercise and you may need to reduce your training volume as you ease back into your routine.
Heat Illness
If you are unaccustomed to exercising in hot or humid environments or you increase your intensity on a hot day, your body may not be able to adequately cool itself through the evaporation of your sweat. An increase in body temperature during or after exercise in the heat could be a sign of heat exhaustion. If it is not addressed or your temperature exceeds 104 degrees Fahrenheit, you could be at risk for heatstroke. A very serious condition, heatstroke could lead to death and should be treated immediately by medical professionals.
Immunity
Even if your exercise intensity is not high, if you perform high volumes of training without adequate recovery periods, you could experience altered physiological functions and a decline in performance. This is termed overtraining. With a condition often associated with inflammation of your muscle fibers, if you overtrain you may develop a fever in response to this state. Your immunity during periods of overtraining could also be compromised, putting you at risk of developing acute illnesses such as the flu.
Other Considerations
Exercise should not be resumed until your body has returned to its normal temperature. If you experience additional symptoms with your fever such as dark urine, nausea, vomiting, an altered mental state or unusually high heart rate, these could be signs of a condition called exertional rhabdomyolysis. You should be seen by a physician immediately. Another sign of this condition can be extreme muscle soreness or pain beyond what you would normally expect from a typical exercise session.
References
- "IDEA Health Fitness Source"; Overexertion Can Cause Serious Harm; Ralph La Forge; January 2004
- "Physiology of Sport and Exercise: Fourth Edition"; Jack Wilmore, David Costill and W. Kenney; 2008
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