Should you Train Through Pain?

Should you train through pain?

Pain during exercise is one of the most common reasons people stop going to the gym, running, or playing sports. Whether it is shoulder pain during pressing movements, knee pain with squats, or lower back pain after deadlifts, many people immediately worry they are causing further damage. While some injuries do require temporary rest or activity modification, pain does not always mean harm. In many cases, continuing to train with appropriate modifications can actually help recovery by maintaining strength, mobility, and confidence in movement. Understanding the difference between acceptable discomfort and warning signs is often the key to recovering faster while staying active.

Does Pain During Exercise Mean You’re Causing Damage?

One of the biggest misconceptions around injuries is that all pain means tissue damage is getting worse. Research into chronic musculoskeletal pain and tendon rehabilitation suggests this is not always the case. Mild and tolerable discomfort during exercise is often considered acceptable, particularly during rehabilitation programs for conditions such as tendinopathy, lower back pain, and certain gym-related injuries.

A useful guideline is that symptoms should stay relatively mild during exercise, should not significantly worsen as you continue training, and should settle within the next 12–24 hours. Sharp pain, major weakness, swelling, or pain that progressively worsens afterwards may indicate the exercise load is currently too high. Rather than completely avoiding movement, the goal is usually to modify exercises, reduce intensity, or temporarily adjust training volume while the irritated tissue settles.

Why Movement and Exercise Can Actually Help Pain

Exercise does more than just strengthen muscles. Movement can also have positive effects on the nervous system and help reduce pain sensitivity. Many people notice they feel stiffer before training but better once they start moving. This is partly due to exercise-induced pain modulation, where physical activity helps temporarily reduce pain perception and improve confidence in movement.

Completely resting for long periods can sometimes lead to deconditioning, stiffness, and fear around movement, making it harder to return to training later on. This is why modern rehabilitation for back pain, shoulder injuries, and many sports-related conditions often focuses on maintaining movement and gradually rebuilding load tolerance instead of avoiding activity altogether.

How We Can Help

At Fortitude Chiropractic, we help people understand what type of pain is safe to work through and what may require further assessment. Treatment may involve hands-on therapy (such as soft tissue therapy, dry needing, cupping and adjustments) to reduce irritation and improve movement, combined with tailored rehabilitation programs designed to progressively rebuild strength, mobility, and confidence. Rather than simply telling you to stop exercising, we focus on modifying movements, improving load management, and helping you safely return to the gym, sport, or everyday activity as quickly as possible.

Click here to book online or call (08) 6184 8835 and start your journey to a pain-free, healthier and stronger you.

References

Smith, B. E., Hendrick, P., Smith, T. O., Bateman, M., Moffatt, F., Rathleff, M. S., Selfe, J., & Logan, P. (2017). Should exercises be painful in the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(23), 1679–1687. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-097383

Wewege, M. A., & Jones, M. D. (2021). Exercise-induced hypoalgesia in healthy individuals and people with chronic musculoskeletal pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Pain, 22(1), 21–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2020.04.003

Here are some of our related blogs