Obrzęk jest mniejszy dzięki temu, że odpoczywam po ćwiczeniu.

Obrzęk means swelling or edema. It is a masculine singular noun in Polish, which matters because the adjective later in the sentence has to match it.

That is why you get mniejszy and not mniejsza or mniejsze.

Because mniejszy has to agree with obrzęk.

• obrzęk = masculine singular
• so the adjective also appears in masculine singular nominative
• therefore: obrzęk jest mniejszy

Compare:

• rana jest mniejsza = the wound is smaller
• ucho jest mniejsze = the ear is smaller

The ending changes to match the noun’s gender and number.

In Polish, the verb to be is normally expressed in the present tense in ordinary sentences like this.

So:

• Obrzęk jest mniejszy = The swelling is smaller

Unlike in some Slavic languages, Polish usually does not drop the present-tense to be in standard sentences.

Dzięki temu, że means something like:

• thanks to the fact that
• because
• due to the fact that

It introduces a cause, usually with a positive result or at least a helpful cause.

So in this sentence, it means the swelling is smaller thanks to the fact that the speaker rests after exercise.

Because dzięki normally takes the dative case.

The word to becomes temu in the dative singular.

So:

• dzięki temu = thanks to that

In this sentence, dzięki temu, że... is a fixed expression meaning thanks to the fact that...

It is best learned as a set expression.

Word by word, it is roughly:

• dzięki = thanks to
• temu = that
• że = that

But in natural English, you would usually translate the whole phrase more smoothly as:

• thanks to the fact that
• because
• since

So yes, you can understand the parts, but the whole phrase works as a standard connector in Polish.

Odpoczywam is the imperfective present form of odpoczywać.

It can mean:

• I am resting
• I rest
• I do rest

Here it suggests an ongoing or habitual action: the speaker rests after exercise, and that helps reduce the swelling.

Why not the others?

• odpocznę = I will rest
• odpocząłem = I rested / I have rested

So odpoczywam is the natural choice if the sentence describes a current habit or repeated pattern.

Odpoczywam comes from the imperfective verb odpoczywać.

In Polish, aspect matters a lot:

• imperfective = ongoing, repeated, habitual, or general action
• perfective = completed action

The perfective partner is odpocząć.

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about a general helpful action, not one completed event, so the imperfective odpoczywam is the right choice.

After the preposition po, Polish uses the locative case in expressions like this.

So:

• basic form: ćwiczenie = exercise
• locative singular: ćwiczeniu

That gives:

• po ćwiczeniu = after exercise / after the exercise

This is a very common pattern:

• po obiedzie = after dinner
• po pracy = after work
• po treningu = after training

Yes, and it can sound very natural.

The difference is mainly nuance:

• po ćwiczeniu = after the exercise / after exercising
• po ćwiczeniach = after the exercises / after the workout

If you mean a session made up of multiple exercises, po ćwiczeniach is often very natural in everyday Polish.

Because in Polish, a subordinate clause introduced by że is normally separated by a comma.

So:

• Obrzęk jest mniejszy dzięki temu, że odpoczywam po ćwiczeniu.

The part że odpoczywam po ćwiczeniu is a subordinate clause explaining the cause.

This comma is required in standard Polish spelling.

Yes, in many situations you could say:

• Obrzęk jest mniejszy, bo odpoczywam po ćwiczeniu.

That would mean basically the same thing: The swelling is smaller because I rest after exercise.

The difference is style and nuance:

• bo = simpler, more everyday
• dzięki temu, że = a bit more formal or explicit, and often suggests a beneficial cause

Yes, that is grammatically possible:

• Obrzęk jest mniejszy dzięki odpoczywaniu po ćwiczeniu.

This means The swelling is smaller thanks to resting after exercise.

However, many learners find dzięki temu, że odpoczywam... easier to build, because it uses a full clause instead of a verbal noun.

Both are correct, but the version in your sentence is often clearer.

No, Polish word order is fairly flexible, though some orders sound more neutral than others.

The given sentence has a natural, neutral order:

• Obrzęk jest mniejszy dzięki temu, że odpoczywam po ćwiczeniu.

You could rearrange parts for emphasis, for example:

• Dzięki temu, że odpoczywam po ćwiczeniu, obrzęk jest mniejszy.

This puts more focus on the cause first.

So the order is not completely fixed, but the original version is very natural.

Most likely it describes a general pattern or repeated situation.

That comes mainly from odpoczywam, which in Polish can express a habitual action:

• I rest after exercise
• and as a result, the swelling is smaller

If you wanted to stress one completed instance, Polish would usually choose different forms or a different structure.