Pain from Exercise?

Pain from exercise is the body's messenger. So, ignoring the pain and just toughing it out could make the injury worse. "There are a lot of different ways to be injured. If there is pain but no swelling, you can continue to exercise but you should modify the activity to make it painless," says Dr. Richard Steadman, orthopedic surgeon in Vail and founder of the Steadman Hawkins Research Foundation. He suggests cross-training, so if you experienced some pain after running, switch to cycling or swimming for a while. "Don't continue with the activity that created the pain in the first place," he says.

With a minor injury, leave it for one to three days. If pain recurs, continues or worsens, get help.

Steadman advises taking a measured approach to injury. "A lot of injuries do well with some exercise, but most do not. It is generally not the right thing for everyone to just work through it," he says. "Swelling is a definite negative - always seek medical care in this case."

Some medical researchers think exercise may be important to the healing process.

"We want to keep you moving," Dr. William Roberts, a sports medicine specialist at the University of Minnesota said in a recent New York Times article. "Injured tissue heals better if it's under some sort of stress," said Roberts, a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine.

The key thing is to be under a physician's care at the initial stages of exercise re-entry.

While many fitness professionals and sports medicine researchers believe people should "train, not strain," others - particularly body builders who are going for maximum muscle growth - do not buy that advice. Since body building demands intense training, those who practice it contend that muscle soreness is the price of admission for a sterling physique.

Exercise in general, not just weightlifting, can cause delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). But the correlation between muscle soreness and developing bigger muscles is still being debated.

DOMS is believed to be caused by two sources: waste products that build up in the muscle or the microscopic tears in the muscle tissue that occur when muscles are pushed harder or differently. This soreness can come from trying out a new exercise or by increasing the intensity or duration of the activity. For example, if you usually jog 1 mile a day then suddenly decide to push yourself to 2 or 3, some soreness is inevitable, is usually mild and generally disappears after 12 to 48 hours.

"Bad" pain often feels sharp, comes on suddenly and stops your activity. The pain could be a pulled muscle, strained or torn ligament or tendon, twisted joint, a dislocated joint, or even a break or fracture of bone. The injured area could swell immediately, a good sign to stop what you are doing.

The best way to treat such an injury it is to immediately give it RICE - rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Stop what you are doing, and sit or lie down in order to protect the injured area. Apply a cold compress wrapped in a thin towel for no longer than 20 minutes. This will help reduce the swelling. Wrap the injury securely (but not so tight that you feel numb or feel throbbing) in an Ace bandage. Raise the injury above the level of the heart.

If it is a minor sprain or strain, you should see improvement in a couple of days. At that point, light massage of the injury can be helpful in the healing process. If the pain or swelling isn't gone after 48 hours, see a doctor.

Many people deal with chronic pain from such ailments as arthritis, fibromyalgia, Paget's disease, general joint and muscle pain of aging, heart disease and stress. In virtually every case, exercise has been found to be beneficial in minimizing the pain.

But remember, you should consult a physical therapist to learn the type of exercise that will be helpful for your condition. For some, light strength training is helpful; for others water exercise is key. Many people benefit from yoga and Pilates.

In addition, proper form is crucial, which can be learned from a physical therapist, as well as from a properly certified personal trainer.

Many more factors are involved with chronic pain, including (but not limited to) psychological, social, and emotional issues. Stress relief is also a key component.

Take all of this into account as you learn how to cope.