As a physio “should I exercise if it hurts” is something I get asked a lot. Pain during exercise usually is usually present for the following reasons: because you’re training harder and pushing yourself more, the body part or muscle group you’re working isn’t used to what you are doing and needs practice to adapt, or it can be a sign of injury. How to work out what the cause of your pain is and if you should keep exercising isn’t easy, whilst what to do can vary between individuals in this article I hope to give you some guidance of whether to keep exercising or not if you experience pain.
Is the pain sharp or dull, or a discomfort? And how bad is it?
It is important to determine whether the pain or discomfort you are feeling is a normal ache or discomfort from exercising harder or differently from what you have done before, or a sign something isn’t right. If you’re new to exercise this can be difficult to tell.
If the pain is a “dull ache” or more of a discomfort try reducing your effort or changing the exercise slightly to see if it resolves, therefore you know what you are doing is the cause and you can resume dong for a short period if the pain is at a “tolerable” level, then stop if the pain or discomfort starts to increase. Or simply stick with the change or modification. As a general rule pain above 5/10 (with 10 being the worse pain ever) should be avoided and is a sign to stop or reduce the intensity of what you’re doing, pain below 5/10 can be “pushed through” unless it gets worse as you continue.
If you experience a sharp pain during exercise in a muscle or joint then this is likely a sign of injury and you should gently reduce your intensity to a stop, and then re-assess how you are feeling before starting to exercise again. If the pain is still present and doesn’t settle within 3- 5 days, get it checked out by a physiotherapist, or similar qualified health professional.
Should it hurt after exercise?
It is important to determine whether the pain or discomfort you are feeling is a normal ache or “DOMS” after exercising harder, or a sign something isn’t right. If the pain is accompanied by a feeling of muscle stiffness, is specific to the area you have been training, and settles within 72 hours, this is likely to be normal and it can settle with some gentle activity (e.g stretching, walking, cycling at a steady pace). If the pain doesn’t settle, gets worse when you train again or afterwards, and/or is accompanied signs of redness, swelling or weakness of the surrounding muscle or joint, this is a sign to rest for now and get it checked out.
Should I stop training?
I never like telling people to stop exercising, as often they are relying on exercise to keep them physically and mentally healthy, and a period of rest can lead to a reduction in overall fitness. As before if pain is above 5/10 during or after training and it’s getting worse, this is an indication that some amount of rest is appropriate, but this doesn’t need to be a total stop.
To rest the area can mean you need to do another type of exercise that isn’t painful, until the initial pain settles, then gradually re-introduce the exercise of choice at a lower intensity. e.g if squats and standing leg exercises are painful, focus on core and upper body exercise for a week , then re-introduce a gentler leg exercises (e.g seated leg extension with low weight) to reduce the pain.
“Rest” may mean you simply need to do less of what you are doing, exercising within a low pain or pain free intensity, e.g if you have knee pain after running 5km, but no pain at 3km, run for 3km only for a week or two and gradually increase distance again as pain settles.
In some instances stopping exercise is advisable as the pain is likely a sign of injury. If the pain is accompanied by swelling, weakness, difficulty putting weight on or using the area, if it is present with daily activities like walking or using stairs and is continuously getting worse, this is a sign resting is important to allow some healing to occur. These sings shouldn’t be ignored and resting is important not just for healing but for you to seek some advice on what’s going on, how to manage the injury and resume exercises safely.
If my physio exercises hurt should I keep doing them?
Generally exercise prescribed by a physiotherapist or similar professional should not be damaging to your injury or health problem. Especially if they have been prescribed after a thorough consultation that addresses how and when the pain started, what you can and can’t/do without pain, your strength and movement of the affected area and your past medical history.
However following any exercise prescription requires paying some attention to your own body. As a general rule follow tips from these scenarios:
- If a particular exercise becomes painful (above 5/10) after say 5 reps, this is your stop point. Aim to do more reps next time rather than pushing through.
- If you have 6 exercises to do but the pain is getting worse after doing 4 of them, again rest for now and try the others later or next time, instead of pushing to do them all.
- If a particular exercise is painful when starting and the pain doesn’t settle within a few repetitions then it should be avoided for now and discussed with your physio.
- Pain from exercise should reduce and settle within 2 hours after exercising, if it doesn’t discuss with your physio as the exercise is likely to advanced for your injury at present.
I hope you have enjoyed the article and I have answered some questions you might have about exercise and pain.
If you have pain during exercise or a recent or recurrent injury and would like to discuss this with me please get in touch at info@clairegurneypilates.com
