How many aches and pains do you ignore in order to work out?

I've got quite a few joint injuries from 10 years motorcycle racing (badly!), being used as a speed bump by a couple of cars and a congenital "bad back" (multitude of prolapsed discs)....

If I didn't train through aches (and sometimes pain) then I wouldn't train much as all. Luckily I have a high pain threshold (pain tolerance probably more accurate). I know my old injuries very well so know the signs/symptoms, fresh injuries are different and I will be more cautious.

I know my neck and back will hurt when I cycle a long way.
In winter I know my Raynaud's affected fingers and toes will go numb and then be very painful when they warm up.
Old knee injuries (lost a PCL and a cartilage) will react to heavy training and long distance cycling.
Elbow tendons tend to hurt most of the time when training, an old shoulder tendon injury aches at high weights.

My personal limit is "damage" rather than pain. I can tolerate pain but when I feel it's indicating actual damage that's when it's time for me to ease off and rest/recover. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this approach for others by the way!

Ankle swelling is a pretty good indication of damage irrespective of pain level.

This morning I really should have listened to my body and not run to work - everything hurts. Nothing specific, just dull aching, feeling shivery, runny nose, sneezing. Generally my body telling me I'm coming down with the sickness and should ease off rather than pushing faster.

Also it was my slowest 5K ever, reduced to walking A LOT! You know that horrible feeling when you just lurch from running to walking without consciously deciding to slow down, it's just like your body refuses.

So anyway, the upshot of my pity party is to say have a couple of rest days, go back to the gymn next Monday and I'll bet you'll be on tip top form.

I train around injuries eather than training through them. If my ankle was swollen and achy I would take the opportunity to work on bench and pullups for a few days.

I've had tons in the last couple years but just keep going and they resolve eventually. Still dealing with a shoulder injury that was actually healed until I did my last Spartan and tore it up again. What I remember off hand I've had:

- Strained pec
- rotator cuff injury
- delt strain
- pulled teres major
- golfer's elbow
- bursitis in both hips
- inflamed biceps tendon
- wrist strain

I'm sure I'm missing a few but only the rotator cuff is still an issue.

Hi there, it's so frustrating when you can't work out. I find it difficult to distinguish between where an ache becomes a pain that needs resting. It's definitely good advice to rest for a few days rather than potentially train on it and put yourself out for a lot longer.

If it's swollen though, definitely sounds like it needs resting. Saying that, I find it difficult to sit still for five minutes so I totally empathise with how you're feeling.

When I hurt my ankle before I just did some training on the bike and knocked the running on the head for a wile; seemed to work for me.

How's the ankle now?

All of them In all seriousness though, if it's a dull pain I usually train through it, if it's sharp, no go. I probably don't give myself enough time to recover all in all though. I have tendonitis in one elbow that I tried giving a few weeks to heal, but I wasn't going to not train upper body for months on end and come back just to still have an issue, so I just push through that usually.

Sued0nim wrote: »

I've got a decent pain threshold and can work through quite a lot which is why I worry a bit more about ignoring stuff...I haven't quite got a grip on what's damage as opposed to get over yourself I suppose

i was just thinking about this yesterday. about how ironic it is that i do miles more mobility work, more stretching, more coddling and maintenance and damage control as a lifter than i ever did when i just sat on my bum all day long . . . i'm practically my own physiotherapist after two years. and i need every second of it. i'm happier and healthier and really love lifting, but if you just went by day-to-day physical well-being, i'm not objectively in 'better shape' than i was previously. or at least, i rarely stop lifting for long enough to fully enjoy the better shape i'm supposedly in

to your actual question though: agh. i think almost everything my body's thrown me has been something that hangs around and gets worse if i leave it alone. i think i sort of operate with this understanding that yes, it is probably going to get worse, and i'll let it do that - up to but no further than some point called 'enough is enough'. along the way i'll usually assume i'm causing it myself with some form failure, so that's what the leeway is for. there have been a couple of things that i've resolved on my own by adjusting my form around them, but i'm still very much learning how to do that and it's very case-by-case too how successful i am.

I train through as long as it doesn't hurt while I'm actually working out. Most of my aches and pains resolve themselves with a good warm-up. Swelling, though - well, I would rethink training through that. Maybe you could do something that doesn't involve heavy work on your ankle. For example, rowing instead of running or an upper body workout?

I'm hypermobile with 40+years worth of joint damage and associated pain. If I didn't work through the pain I'd be back where I was last year, not moving because it hurts too much. But if the pain is at a suddenly higher level then I'll get it checked out with x rays etc. My able is giving me a lot of trouble atm, but x rays have shown there's nothing sinister, no micro fractures just a lot of pain when I walk on it. So I push through and when all those workout hormones are flooding my body it doesn't hurt quite so much.

HeyaBerg wrote: »

I ignore them all... and just train.. currently training like this... There are no excuses as long as your not injuring yourself more.

When I fractured my wrist I ended up doing zombie squats so I completely agree you can work around injuries as long as it's safe to do so!

I train through aches and bruises as long as it doesn't hurt so badly I can't do the exercise properly. I'll ignore swelling and discoloration if there's no real pain. Im doing that now, actually. Dropped a 45lb plate on my ankle more than a month ago (don't ask, I'm a clutz) and it's still a bit swollen and yellow. But it only hurts if you push on it, so I figure lifting is fine.

If I've got a turned ankle and it's OK to bear weight I'll do any exercise where I can plant my foot and keep the ankle straight. If I'm worried about the strain I'll use a brace. I also work through joint aches in my shoulder and back pain because I know what's causing it and lifting consistently makes it go away.

I don't do anything I think will make an injury worse, and I don't work if I'm sick unless it's allergies. I don't mess around with knee pain

Pain and aches are different. I would never train with pain. Aches come with working out hard and age and I just deal with them. Eating well, drinking a lot of water, getting good quality sleep, and keeping on top of mobility does wonders for aches.

tiny_clanger wrote: »

HeyaBerg wrote: »

I ignore them all... and just train.. currently training like this... There are no excuses as long as your not injuring yourself more.

That is a rather unpleasant and potentially damaging statement. It is completely acceptable to stop if you are in pain or discomfort, it is not "making excuses" to take some rest if your body is in pain or exhausted. It is this sort of attitude which discourages people from engaging with exercise, which is ultimately more harmful.

I would also suggest that your photo shows you doing potential harm to your body if this is an exercise you do for a sustained period of time and/or regularly given your current injury. You are placing significant additional stress on a side of your body which will already be working harder to compensate for activities of daily living. You have no way to balance that stress across your body with your arm currently injured. Therefore, you may increase your risk of stress injuries on the right side of your upper body.

This is so true. Just think of the times when you've minorly injured a foot or ankle. You limp around on it and suddenly your knee or hip hurts. You've placed undue stress on a different area to compensate for the pain and if you continue to limp around you could end up with a significant issue in the new area.