5 Types of Bad Workout Pain
Thursday, April 09, 2015
The old saying “no pain, no gain” has been taken as gospel by exercisers. Many people feel like the only adequate measure of a workout is how much pain you are in afterward. Lots of pain = success. No pain = failure. To a point this is true. Feeling sore muscles (even if they are really sore) for 2-4 days after a workout is within the realm of normal. This pain is your body’s way of telling you that you have pushed it, and your body will respond by repairing and laying down new muscles fibers so you can have a lovely toned body. You need to be able to differentiate the good pain from the bad, however, or you’ll end up sitting on the couch once again. What follows is a list of 5 types of workout pain that should alert you that something is wrong:
1. The Sudden Sharp, Stabbing, Tearing, Popping Pain
This sounds obvious, right? Who would possibly keep working out or not go to the doctor if they felt any of those kinds of pain during a workout? The truth is that many of you would. I see it in my acupuncture practice all the time, and it comes in two different forms. The first is the middle-aged or older person who at one time in their younger years experienced one of these pains (usually during an organized sporting event). They ignored it, eventually it got better, and now years later they have arthritis or some other chronic pain issue because of it. The second is the middle-aged or older person who experienced one of these pains recently, but who thinks they will still just get better like they did when they were 18. You won’t just get better. You are not 18. Go see your doctor to rule out something serious, and then an acupuncturist, chiropractor, physical therapist or some other physical medicine practitioner who can help you adequately rest and heal the issue.
2. The Uneven Pain
This type of pain usually comes when you are trying a new workout and don’t entirely know how to do it properly. Perhaps you are adding a weightlifting routine to your cardio and when you do a machine meant to work out your shoulders and back you feel lots of pain in your shoulders but feel like your back is hardly working at all. This can also show up during an exercise meant to work both sides of the body equally, but only one knee hurts while the other feels fine. This means that you are either doing the exercise improperly (which is likely to lead to injury), or that you have an existing pain issue that is being exacerbated by this new workout. Either way, it is not a good idea to keep going. It is surprisingly easy to injure yourself during a new workout, which is why you should always begin with an instructor or coach. Only use the online kickboxing workouts once you’ve mastered the moves in a class.
3. The Pain that Comes with Swelling
In general, swelling is an indication of a trauma to a muscle, tendon or bone. Swelling can occasionally happen just from doing a too-intense workout, but even this is not a good indication. Swelling can be treated with ice and rest, but should also likely be evaluated by a doctor to make sure there is not a more serious issue.
4. The Pain that Keeps Returning
Pain that accompanies a new workout or a return to exercise after an absence should lessen as you continue working out and your body gets stronger. If you have been doing yoga 3 times a week for a month and every time you come home your upper back and neck are sore for the next day or two, there is something else going on. Rest your body or try a different type of exercise that does not cause pain until you can find out what is wrong.
5. The Pain that Lasts too Long
If the soreness lasts longer than 2-4 days, you may have pushed it too hard. You should still be able to fit in a lower intensity workout during the recovery period in order to keep your muscles moving. If there is no chance for that, then you have pushed it too much. According to Dr. Alan Mikesky, director of the human performance and biomechanics laboratory at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis: If your muscles are sore to the touch or the soreness is restricting your range of motion you need another rest day. Otherwise, you can work through it.
Pain can be an indicator that you pushed your body and got in a good workout. Too much pain or the wrong type of pain, however, should be taken seriously so you avoid causing further injury. The final thing to keep in mind when assessing whether or not your post-workout soreness is just right or too much is Consistency. One of the hardest and most important aspects of working out is maintaining a consistent workout schedule. If you are pushing yourself and the resulting pain and soreness keeps you from building momentum in your schedule, then it isn’t worth it.
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