It’s a common scenario we see here at our chiropractic clinics in Ellicott City and Clarksville: you have goals, you’re ready to hit the gym (or perhaps get back into running like you promised yourself) but there’s no getting around that annoying low back pain. Or is there?

While it may seem like pain may take you out for the count, there are some things you can do. And don’t panic; if all else fails, we’ve got your back.

---

The Traffic Light: A Guide For Movement Safe Pain

Pain means you’ve damaged something and you shouldn’t continue activity, right? Not necessarily! Pain could mean that a tissue is injured, but it could just be a protective warning signal telling you to be cautious.

Imagine you are in the gym pressing a dumbbell overhead. You’re feeling pretty good but on one rep you move it just the wrong way and you feel an unnerving tweak that causes you to pause for a moment. That didn’t feel good, but…it was brief. Can you try another rep? You press overhead, more carefully this time, and you are able to complete your set.

This is green light pain–no worse after activity, no change in strength, range of motion, or ability. You’re safe to continue activity as normal!

But let’s say the pain lasts a bit longer than that. It felt okay at the time, but later you feel a little more than soreness. It’s not severe–let’s say it’s a 2 or a 3 on a scale from 0 to 10 and it lasts a day or two, but it gets better with rest and isn’t debilitating. That’s yellow light pain. The best course here is to proceed with caution–take a break from that activity for a bit, or modify the movement to something less painful. It’s likely that continuing to do the activity with modifications will help. However, if you have persistent or recurrent yellow light pain with that activity, you should get it checked out (you know, by someone like us!)

A severe increase in pain that results in a major loss of range of motion, strength, or function that lasts for more than 3 days is red light pain, which should be taken seriously. I say it lasts more than three days, but most people know red light pain when they feel it. You shouldn’t try to train around this, but get it checked out as soon as possible.

---

Modifying the Movement

Social media and the internet are saturated with posts along the lines of “Best exercises to do for [painful body part].” Without the context of your specific injury or condition or the goals you want to attain, these may be of limited help. What may be more helpful is considering how to modify activity in the face of yellow light pain. There are many ways to modify movement and this post would be too long if I went over all of them. But here are some general guidelines:

1. Have you tried modifying the load, intensity, or amount of exercise you do?

If you have knee pain only after running for 30 minutes, can you run for 25? If you train a specific body part three times a week, would reducing it to two help? Or maybe–for multiple reasons–you just aren’t able to do the same amount you did last week.

Usually, if you experience pain from simply doing too much, then the issue isn’t with the activity itself, it’s training overload. It seems obvious, but when we’re dead set on training a certain way (often because we think we’re supposed to) the alternative of doing less can be easy to forget.

2. If a specific exercise hurts, can you reduce the range of motion?

Try not squatting as deep if it hurts your knees or your back. Try partial push-ups for the time-being if they bother your shoulders.

3. Can you do a similar exercise that doesn’t hurt?

Hip pain with squatting? Try changing your stance. Back pain with deadlifting? Substitute with hip thrusters for a while. Step-ups can be a good alternative for lunges that aggravate your knees or toes. Bench presses with dumbbells can be easier on the shoulders than barbells.

---

If All Else Fails

Pain and activity can be tricky waters to navigate on your own. If modifying activities doesn’t seem to be working for you, consider giving the team at Morrison Chiropractic a call. We are trained to look for the issue and provide care that considers your activity and goals, so you can get back to the things you love to do.