shoulder pain relief, shoulder pain treatment, shoulder pain cause, shoulder pain exercises

Should I Train If I'm In Pain?

Should I Train If I’m In Pain?

Pain serves as a vital warning signal that is inherently unpleasant, acting as a natural protective mechanism. For instance, the discomfort of touching a hot stove or hitting our head on a hard surface instructs us on health and safety. Despite its essential role, pain can be frustrating in the long run as it hinders our enjoyment of activities, especially chronic pain like back pain, hip pain, or plantar fasciitis.

However, it is unclear whether we should halt our training when we experience pain or keep pushing through it. The matter is complex because studies have shown that avoiding pain by being inactive is counterproductive, while overexertion is also not advisable.

Not Doing Enough

If we fail to exercise adequately when our bodies are weakened or recovering, we risk aggravating the situation. Insufficient activity may result in reduced blood flow to painful areas, muscle atrophy, stiffness in the affected areas, and inactivity-related mild depression. These consequences are highly undesirable, particularly when dealing with persistent pains such as knee pain, heel pain, hip pain, or plantar fasciitis.

Doing Too Much

If we exert ourselves excessively, we risk placing undue stress on injured or tender tissues, which can impede the healing process. It is common knowledge that running on a broken leg is unwise, and the same principle applies to back pain, ankle pain, plantar fasciitis, and similar conditions.

Mastering the ability to gauge how much to challenge our pain is a valuable skill which plays a significant role in resolving pain over the long term.

A Golden Nugget

I have a valuable piece of advice that has helped numerous individuals alleviate their uncertainty about how much weight to lift or how far to run.

“As a general rule, if you experience slightly more discomfort during or shortly after exercise, it is usually not a cause for concern. However, suppose your pain significantly intensifies after a particular exercise or movement and lasts more than a day. In that case, it is typically not a positive sign.”

While there may be exceptions to this loose guideline, it can assist in preventing you from encountering issues.

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Headaches, ‘A Pain In The Neck’?

Have you ever heard of the term ‘cervicogenic headache‘? If you were to consult the International Society for Headache Research, you would discover a category of headache known as ‘cervicogenic headache’, which essentially means a headache caused by issues in the neck and its tissues. It’s more common than most people, including doctors (but probably not chiropractors), might expect.

Chiropractors have known for nearly 100 years that the neck is a major cause of headaches. And now medical science is catching up to them.

Mr Nikolai Bogduk, a medical researcher and leading expert in the microanatomy of the human nervous system, has discovered significant overlaps between the sensory nerve pathways of the neck and the head. This discovery makes it easy for a neck problem to be felt as a headache. In fact, many headache or migraine sufferers report that their headaches start in their neck or they feel neck pain during their headache/migraine episodes. These individuals also experience more frequent neck pain than the average person, indicating a strong connection between neck pain, neck problems, and headaches. Chiropractors can help address these issues and provide relief to those suffering from cervicogenic headaches.

If you were to ask a traditional medical practitioner about headaches like migraines, they would tell you that changes in blood flow to the brain are the primary cause. While this may be true for migraines and possibly tension headaches, it is important to note that changes in blood flow could be triggered by neck issues. Research has shown that there are connections between the sensory nerve pathways of the neck and head, which means that a problem in the neck can be felt in the head. This is where a chiropractor can come into play.

As a chiropractor, I work in the pain management trenches and have found that most headache/migraine sufferers have deep knots in the muscles at the top of their neck, as well as stiffness, locking, and inflammation of the small weight-bearing joints. Additionally, many have a limited range of motion in their spinal joints. By addressing these issues, we have reduced headaches for many patients. 

So if you have been wondering whether neck problems could cause your headaches, the answer is a definite and resounding YES – and there is help available through chiropractic care.

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