Good Pain, Bad Pain. When is it OK to workout?

    Many of you during your training may feel pain in your knee, or low back or ankle etc. Many of you will wonder whether you should continue to train or not. In this article I hope you will learn whether or not to continue training with the pain or discomfort you may be experiencing.

    First and foremost pain is a symptom that should not be ignored and if pain is persistent no matter how minor you should get professional advice.

    However there are some conditions that are okay to run or train through. In these cases, running or training may not be the most comfortable, but it probably won't make the condition worse, and training may actually prevent it from becoming worse. A key "rule of thumb" is if the training doesn't increase the pain, then usually it's fine to continue.

    Some basic rules you may want to ask yourself when you have pain are (1) Do you see anything abnormal at the site of pain. There should be no obvious bumps or swelling or after training there should be no swelling, redness or warmth. If so, do not train. (2) Does the pain disappear after warm up? As a rule if this is true, it's probably okay to train. (3) Is the pain relatively minor? On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being no pain and 10 being unbearable, pain between 1 and 4 is usually okay if it goes away after warm-up. Moderate pain between 5 and 7 will need professional attention because you may change your running form and risk injury elsewhere. Pain between 8 and 10, is usually at rest, gets worse with training and doesn't stop after you stop is serious. You need immediate medical attention.

    Next are some common running ailments and some general advice about them. A person with achilles tendonitis and swelling behind the ankle should not train until the swelling is decreased and then cross-training should begin for awhile. If there is no swelling and you have achilles tendonitis, training should be okay. With or without swelling, achilles tendonitis needs therapy.

    Iliotibial band syndrome(ITBS)  which is pain at the outside of the knee and thigh must be monitored closely. If you can warm up to the point where there is no pain, you're probably fine to train. ITBS is a condition that needs therapy especially with repetitive training like running.

    Shin splints are fine to run with, which is pain in the front or side of the shin. However if the discomfort is painful not just uncomfortable and it continues after training and at rest, training must stop until you seek professional advice. You need to be checked for a possible stress fracture or comportment syndrome.

    I hope this information helps give you some general guidelines when deciding whether to train or not with pain/discomfort. This article should definitely not be used to replace medical advice. The bottom line is if you are unsure at all about your pain, seek help. Good luck and train hard!

 

    My name is Dr. Erin White and I am a chiropractor/kinesiologist in Sarnia, Ontario. I work with several teams and athletes in the Sarnia-Lambton region by providing sports injury care and rehab. If you have any questions regarding your health/injuries, drop me an email at ewhitedc@xcelco.on.ca. This is the first in a series of articles I will author regarding sports injuries and rehab with track and field.