Aches And Pains: Rest Or Get Help…

I’m going to make this super simple rather than getting into the science and phases of tissue healing. If you start having a particular pain while or after doing an activity, you should stop doing it if 1) the pain progresses to get worse as you continue the activity, or 2) if the pain is more that a “moderate” level. The reason you should stop under these two circumstances is because these are signs that the affected tissue is being damaged and your nerves are sending you warning signals. Sometimes small aches and pains happen for strange reasons and if you ice it immediately and just stay away from the activity that caused it for a few days, when you go back to the activity, the pain is gone. Weird, I know. If the pain still exists at a moderate level, or if the pain still gets worse as you continue the activity, stay away from that activity for 2 full weeks. Use that time to ice the area, take anti-inflammatories (if that’s something that is safe for you to do), and cross train. Cross training, simply means a different type of exercise or activity that doesn’t cause you any pain. After two full weeks of rest from the initial activity, if the pain still exists, seek medical attention. Basic injuries heal 50% or more from two weeks of rest, if the pain is still moderate-severe at that point, then it is not healing well and a medical professional, such as a Physical Therapist, should evaluate you to see what exactly is going on and why.