Dealing with pain and injury
Today we'll discuss pain and injury. When we start an exercise program and begin pushing ourselves, most of us expect we will feel some pain. It can be difficult for people to know when enough is enough, when to carry on and when to stop. In this episode, I want to help you identify when to push and when to stop.
When we work on our muscles, we tear the muscle fiber down. Our bodies were designed to respond to this. The muscles are repaired and in that process, they're made bigger and stronger. But this can only happen when we make sure to get appropriate rest and take in the right amount of protein. The cycle entails the following: challenge, feed, and recover. During the challenge phase, it is common to have a little bit of discomfort and pain. And it’s fine to continue with such pain.
When you're new to resistance exercise, it is not uncommon to suffer rather extreme muscle soreness. It means that you've done enough work with that muscle to elicit growth. You'll want to ensure you give the muscle enough time to recover. It takes roughly 48 – 72 hours to recover from intense resistance exercise.
Another type of pain, which is most often associated with running is called a stitch. It is a sharp pain in the lower abdomen. This is believed to occur when there is a mismatch between abdominal muscles and the diaphragm. The stitch can be very painful, bu it is nothing to worry about.
Injuries require a lot more care. The previous pain issues we covered will go away with rest. With injuries, that's usually not the case.
Most common exercise-induced injuries are damage to a tendon, ligament, muscle or bone. You should make sure you seek medical attention for injuries. The doctor will give you information on how to repair the damage and begin rehabilitation. I can't stress enough how important it is to follow your doctor's instructions. Injuries can put an end to exercise permanently if you don't address the underlying issue.
How you should approach pain and injury will depend on the nature of the pain. Make sure you properly asscess your pain and injury before you decide how to go ahead. There is some pain to get gain, but you'll need to know which type of pain is getting you gains or is going to sideline you.
