Tips For Exercising When
You Have Pain
One of the most challenging aspects of living with an
injury or chronic pain is how it can quickly impact your exercise routine. If
you have been working towards a fitness or weight goal, this can be extremely
demoralizing. Here are a few tips that can help to keep you on track while you
recover. Staying as active as possible during this time can mean you’re in the
best position to reach your goals again once your injury has healed.
1. Try a new activity.
When injury
strikes, it can be tempting to stop exercising altogether and rest while you
recover. An injury can be frustrating,
but it can also be an opportunity to try out a different sport. If you’re a
runner with an ankle injury, you can keep up your fitness by swimming instead.
Cycling can be an excellent option for people for dealing with knee pain, and
if you’re a swimmer with shoulder pain, maybe switch to running for a while.
Check with your physiotherapist for some ideas to keep you moving.
2. Exercise within
your limits.
If you’re
getting pain at 5km, this doesn’t always mean you should give up running
altogether. Your physiotherapist can help you monitor your symptoms carefully
and plan an exercise routine that keeps your fitness up while reducing symptom
flare-ups. Staying as active as possible throughout your recovery can also mean
that you a better placed to get back to your best performance once symptoms
reside.
3. Take the
opportunity to improve your footwear and equipment.
Injury and
pain can be a great prompt to look at your equipment and technique. For
example, with hip and knee pain, the type of shoes you wear can have a
significant difference. Often pain has more than once cause, with technique and
equipment more often than not having a substantial impact on the stress placed
on your body. Your physiotherapist is an excellent source of advice in this
area, don’t hesitate to ask for an assessment.
4. Take to the water
Hydrotherapy
has long been used to help patients with joint pain or muscle weakness
exercise. The water helps reduce joint stress and provide extra sensory input
that can reduce pain. Exercising in water can be especially helpful for
sufferers of chronic pain or those who have pain with weight-bearing. Speak to your physio for a hydrotherapy
program if you’re not sure how to approach exercise in water.
Our physiotherapists are happy to discuss your
condition with you and share their tips to help you stay pain-free. None
of the information in this article is a replacement for proper medical advice.
Always see a medical professional for advice on your condition.
