The influence of exercise on pain and injury is often underestimated, in both directions.
Most people believe that exercise is good for them. Whilst this is true in a general sense, it’s important to understand that exercise is a two-sided coin — it can both cause pain and help reduce it.
Here’s an example which illustrates my point.
This particular gentleman had sought my help to assist in his recovery from a spinal discectomy.
Despite being 8 weeks post surgery, he still had pain and stiffness around his lower back and was struggling to get through the day.
After 3 sessions of targeted exercise he noticed significant improvements. He could sit at his desk for most of the day without discomfort, and move around with fewer restrictions.
Lesson: Target the right muscles with the right amount of force and cool things can happen.
Fast forward 3 months and because he felt largely back to normal, he decided to return to some of his previous activities. This included bodyweight training.
The first few sessions went well, but then he began to notice nerve type sensations around his lower leg.
Naturally this caused him concern. He feared he might have re-injured himself and could require further surgery.
Interestingly, he hadn’t made the connection between the change in his training and the appearance of these symptoms — until I pointed it out that is.
Lesson: Apply too much force, too quickly, and exercise can cause a flare in symptoms.
The influence of exercise on pain is greater than we think
When people experience pain and discomfort they often worry about the potential cause, particularly if they’ve suffered with a previous injury.
If, however, you conceptualise these sensations as a training issue first and foremost, you’ll have a greater awareness of the impact exercise can have.
Get your training right and you’ll reduce these types of occurrences.
Get it wrong and it can feel like you’re back to square one. This is rarely the case, but it’s a strong signal to make changes.
Summary
The influence of exercise on pain and injury is often underestimated.
Exercise can be used to reduce pain and discomfort. Get the dose wrong, however, and you’ll find it’s just as effective at creating them.
Apply it accordingly.
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