One HUGE misconception in training is that you have to stop exercising and "rest it" when you're dealing with pain or an injury.

That is NOT the way to go.

On the other hand, we also want to listen to what our body is telling us and avoid doing things that continue to irritate the injury. The challenge is finding the balance between the two.

What often makes injuries drag on isn't the injury itself, it's swinging between two extremes:

• Ignoring the pain and pushing through it day after day because you don't want to lose progress.

• Completely resting, avoiding everything that hurts, and slowly losing strength, mobility, fitness, and confidence in your body.

Neither approach sets you up for long-term success.

The good news is that most people don't have to stop training altogether. In fact, staying active is often one of the best things you can do—as long as you're training intelligently.

Most people can continue exercising safely by modifying one or more of these variables:

• Range of motion
• Load (weight)
• Rest times
• Number of sets and reps
• Speed of the movement
• Exercise selection

A painful squat might become pain-free by squatting to a box. A heavy bench press might feel great with lighter weight and slower tempo. A run may need to become a bike ride for a couple of weeks. Small adjustments like these allow your body to keep moving without continually aggravating the injured tissue.

The goal is to gradually restore your body's strength and capacity so you can get back to doing everything you enjoy without constantly worrying about your symptoms.

Here's a simple rule to follow:

If a movement hurts, reduce the demand before removing the movement entirely. If you can perform a modified version without pain or with symptoms that don't worsen during or after the workout, you're usually on the right track.

Staying active during recovery helps maintain strength, keeps your joints moving, and gives healing tissues the right amount of load to recover. When the right amount of stress is applied, your body adapts. When there's too much or too little, recovery often stalls.

If pain has you second-guessing every workout, you don't need to "just rest it", you need a smarter approach.

A customized rehab and training plan allows you to keep exercising, continue making progress, and recover without putting your life or fitness goals on hold.

If you've been struggling to find a balance in your workouts while managing pain or an injury, schedule a free phone consultation with our doctor of physical therapy by clicking the button above!