Movement or rest?

Should we rest when we experience pain or should we push through the pain and keep moving??

There are rare cases when resting or avoiding certain movements is recommended such as with a fracture or sometimes after surgery. Occasionally, some amount of rest is advised after an acute injury. However, in the vast majority of cases, movement is best!

Even if you have been diagnosed with a tear, disc bulge, degeneration, arthritis (which can all be normal age-related findings), movement is the best option.

Why?

If we have sustained some damage to our body, we need to load the injured tissues (through exercise and movement) so that they adapt and increase their overall tolerance. We need to build the tissues back up so we can for example, climb stairs or run again without pain. Sometimes, temporary modifications are required which can be advised by a Physiotherapist.

If we avoid moving, the structures will become weak, stiff and can become more pain sensitive.

We often get pain when the load we place on the body part becomes more than the tolerance of the tissues. For example somebody who decides to train for a marathon and does too much too soon may experience shin or achilles pain. In this case their body part was not sufficient to take on the demands that were placed upon it and the treatment therefore would aim to gradually increase the capacity of the body part. Stopping running altogether will not assist with this.

Remember, even if we have damaged tissues, we need to put them under stress through movement and exercise for adaptation to occur. It is finding the right type and amount of exercise that can be tricky. If it is too painful to load the damaged tissues, research has shown loading the joints proximal and distal to be very beneficial e.g strengthening the ankle and hip with knee pain.

So, my advice to all but a few, movement is key to recovery and resting can be detrimental in many cases!

Please reach out if you have any comments or questions.

Thanks for reading,

Nichola

Physiotherapist