“I want to start exercising, but I’m waiting for my knee, low back, or shoulder to feel better first.”
That makes sense on the surface.
If something hurts, why would you exercise if certain movements might make it worse?
But if we change the perspective, that logic starts to fall apart.
If you do not like tomatoes, you do not stop eating food altogether.
You just avoid tomatoes and choose from the thousands of other foods that are out there.
Exercise works the same way.
If one area of your body is irritated, that does not mean you should avoid exercising altogether.
It means you should avoid the exercises that bother that area and choose from the many other options that still help you train.
If you have knee pain, that does not mean your whole body should stop.
You may still be able to train upper body.
You may still be able to train core.
You may still be able to do cardio that does not irritate the knee.
If you have shoulder pain, that does not mean you should stop lower body training.
If your low back is irritated, that does not mean all movement is off limits.
There are almost always other exercise options that can improve your strength and aerobic system while working around the issue.
At Pratt Personal Training, many members come in with discomfort in a knee, low back, or shoulder.
Some also deal with neck, elbow, wrist, hip, or ankle issues.
In almost every case, there is still plenty they can do.
The goal is not to be reckless.
The goal is not to pretend pain does not matter.
The goal is to train the areas you can train, work around the areas that are irritated, and keep moving forward.
In some cases, we can also test exercises gradually around the painful area.
If it does not hurt during the exercise, that is usually a good sign.
Then you pay attention to how it feels later that day and over the next 24 hours.
If it stays calm, that may be a good option.
If it clearly gets worse, you adjust.
That is why good coaching matters.
You want someone who understands the difference between pushing through the wrong thing and training intelligently around a problem.
Stopping all exercise because one area hurts usually does not make much sense.
Just like avoiding all food because you do not like tomatoes would not make much sense.
Takeaways:
1. Pain in one area does not mean you should stop exercising altogether.
2. Most people with knee, low back, or shoulder discomfort can still train.
3. The goal is to avoid the movements that make things worse and focus on what you can do.
4. There are usually plenty of ways to train strength and cardio around an injury or painful area.
5. Good coaching helps you stay active without being reckless.
6. In most cases, doing something is much better than doing nothing.
– James Pratt