Taming Chronic Pain. Amy Orr

of possible workouts that will give you all the benefits of exercise without causing harm or triggering your pain disorder.

      Know the Difference Between Good Pain and Bad Pain

      Exercise hurts. Most of the time, for most people, just a little. You are not really working your muscles or pushing yourself if there isn’t some strain, some extra effort that can tire muscles and leave you achy and spent. That’s basically why so many people dislike it—it’s time-consuming and difficult and do I really have to?!

      It’s important to know which pains you feel when exercising are normal and which are not. Muscle pain, strain or ache is normal after a heavy workout. It means you actually did something, so in many ways this can be considered good pain: you tired the muscle out, but that work will make it stronger. Some joint discomfort can also be expected if you have been working on a problem area, but again, this might be a good thing: moving and lubricating problem joints increases their mobility. If you have nerve damage, then this might be triggered by physical strain in the affected area. Normal after-effects such as these should decrease over time and can be temporarily alleviated by icing the area or taking anti-inflammatories.

      But remember: no exercise should cause severe pain. Use the pain scale to monitor how you’re feeling; if your pain jumps while exercising, stop.

      You should not have an increase of more than two points on the pain scale when doing any physical activity.

      And none of the following should ever describe what you’re experiencing when doing safe exercise:

tweakyburningjabbingpersistentsearing

wrenchingyankingrippingtearingstabbing

acuteshockspasming

      If you feel anything sudden, sharp, or that isn’t alleviated by pausing for a few moments, then stop what you’re doing and try something less impactful, smaller, or (if you’re having a bad day) simply come back and try again another time, starting slowly and building gradually.

      Whatever your situation, your abilities, or your access to resources, there are some simple, common-sense rules you can follow to ensure you are taking the best care of yourself possible in regard to physical activity and pain.

      Rules

      1. Go at Your Own Pace

      You absolutely have to get comfortable ignoring what everyone else is doing. You are not in someone else’s body, and they do not know how your body is reacting internally. Whether you’re in the gym, in an exercise class, playing team sports, or exercising on your own, you have to be able to read your body’s signals and slow down, modify, decrease weight, take a break, or stretch it out, if that is what your body is demanding.