By Gold Coast Physio, Liam Ryan
As a Physio, a common question we get asked is “should my exercises be hurting me to do them?”.
In society we also hear a lot “no pain, no gain”. But is this really necessary? Do we need to hurt to get better? Is there a benefit to experiencing pain with rehabilitation?
A recent review looked at the benefits of painful exercises against non-painful exercises in people who have had musculoskeletal pain for greater than three months. They compared the results of seven different trials, and found that painful exercises provided a greater benefit in the short term over non-painful exercises for a good outcome.
“Painful exercises provided a greater benefit”
We also know that in more acute injuries, such as a hamstring strain, that allowing acceptable levels of pain when doing rehab provided a greater recovery of function and strength than limiting exercises.
Now this doesn’t mean that your exercises have to cause tears to well up in your eyes. What it does mean is that low levels of acceptable pain are safe and OK to experience whilst your exercising or completing rehab. We know that pain does NOT equal tissue damage, especially when it has been there for an extended period.
“Low levels of acceptable pain are safe and OK to experience”
As to how much pain you should experience with your exercises?
That will need to be determined by yourself and your treating physiotherapist. If you decide to allow pain as part of your rehabilitation then it should be at a level that you can tolerate, and that does not cause a flare up or increase in your pain the following day. I find myself often suggesting to my clients to keep their pain under 4/10 if it were scored on a scale from 0-10 (0=normal, no pain and 10= the maximal pain you can imagine).
A good idea is to keep a diary, recording how you felt doing your rehabilitation each day. This is a useful tool for reflection on progress, and can help your treating practitioner guide your recovery & help you see some progress even if dealing with some pain.
If you would like more advice on rehab and exercies, any one of our experienced Physio’s can help. Phone us on 07 55006470 for an appointment or Book Online.
