In this post we discuss whether the statement ‘can’t go wrong getting strong’ is accurate if you suffer from chronic pain and injury.
You might have seen this quote on social media from physiotherapists extolling the benefits of strength training.
Whilst there’s obviously some truth to it, using it in the context of those who are suffering with chronic pain and injury is problematic.
You can certainly go wrong trying to get strong, as you may be painfully aware.
Perhaps you’ve also had a negative experience attempting to use strength training to recover from injury.
If that’s the case this statement seems to run counter to your experience.
Professionals who think strength training’s benefits are overstated, also point out that athletes frequently find themselves in pain and they are some of the strongest people on the planet.
These are all valid points so what’s going on?
Understanding pain
Chronic pain and injury aren’t just about strength.
Pain is an output that’s dependent on more than just the strength of your muscles.
It’s more accurate to think of pain as an alarm that relates to a perceived threat.
How your brain perceives that threat can be influenced by your health status, your previous experiences, what you think about your injury, and the trust you have in the professionals advising you, among many other things.
That said, strength training or resistance training as I prefer to call it, can provide an effective entry point to reduce both the frequency and intensity of the alarm and help you restore strength.
How you apply it is critical however.
Key considerations for effective resistance training
Consider the following questions to improve your chances of success.
1) Which muscles should you focus on?
The first decision to make is where to focus your attention. Which muscles need work?
A common mistake is to focus entirely on the area that hurts.
Whilst understandable, it ignores the fact that the muscular system is integrated.
In some cases where symptoms are particularly volatile, it makes sense to start well away from the problematic area.
2) How much resistance should you use?
What’s often not considered when deciding on the weight, is the distance that weight is from its point of application to the joint it’s challenging.
This is known as the moment arm and it’s 50% of the force equation. In other words half of what makes an exercise challenging is not usually considered by rehab professionals.
3) How should you perform the exercise?
Once you know what you’re working on and you’ve selected the appropriate resistance, you need to consider how to apply the exercise itself.
How far and how fast are you going to move?
Which joints are you going to allow movement at and which will you hold still?
Where exactly should you feel the exercise?
These are all considerations that can dramatically alter the exercise experience.
4) What equipment should you use?
The equipment you use can be the difference between success and failure. Again this is rarely discussed.
Body weight exercises and elastic bands provide a poor challenge in most cases and lead to inferior results. Particularly when you’re attempting to isolate and strengthen weak muscles.
Even some resistance training machines are so badly designed that they will scupper your chances of success.
As a general rule I recommend my clients seek out Cybex equipment where possible. This is what I use for my in person programme.
Summary
Resistance training is a key component in helping you recover from chronic pain and injury, but only if it’s applied correctly.
Statements like ‘can’t go wrong getting strong,’ whilst correct in spirit, inevitably ignore the nuances that are involved in creating a successful outcome.