Manage Minor Pain with this Self-Rehabilitation Framework

September 5, 2022

Alex Klas

Personal Trainer

Introduction:

In this article, I provide a framework that you can use to take an active approach to managing and rehabilitating minor aches and pains. By following this three-step framework, you can manage your discomfort and continue your exercise routine.

But first, a little bit about pain…

Rest Isn’t the Only Solution

Rest can be a critical part of healing, particularly for acute pain or injuries like fractures and tears. However, complete rest is often not the ideal way to manage many chronic or nagging issues.

From quality of sleep to stress levels and from hydration status to movement habits, there are many factors that influence the way we experience pain. For ongoing aches and pains, avoiding movement can often lead to less improvements in pain and a reduced ability to move well. In some cases, there is a higher risk of further or recurring injury.

The framework below provides a way to mindfully move while you have pain in order to maintain as much mobility, capacity, and strength as you can.

Note: for severe pain or injury, seek professional support from a rehabilitation professional before following this framework. Even if your issue is minor, consulting a professional is never a bad idea.

1. Remember the two Rs of Self-Rehab

The first step to self-rehabilitation is reassurance and realistic planning. Reassure yourself that you can continue, even if you feel some pain, and be realistic about your journey.

Reassurance:

Rather than panicking about the pain or injury, recognize that these things will happen and that there is plenty that you can do to improve the situation. This may be easier said than done but stressing about the injury will not help. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Pain does not mean that you must stop all together.
Pain does not always mean that damage is being done. Although many of us may assume that pain equals injury, this is not always the case. If you pinch your earlobe until it hurts, it does not mean you’ve injured it. This is a bit oversimplified, but you get the idea.
There are several factors that affect if and how people experience pain. See the figure below for some of the many factors.

Graphic from: youthsportspt

Realistic

Now that you have reassured yourself, make sure you’re being realistic. It’s not always reasonable to expect to be totally symptom-free during the rehabilitation process. As mentioned, pain does not always indicate that you’re harming tissue. This doesn’t mean you should ignore severe pain, but it does mean that mild, tolerable pain (like a 4 out of 10 or less) can generally be worked through and will often improve with time. Two additional things to keep in mind:

Be patient – this process may take weeks, or months, or in some instances, even years. That’s another reason why stopping everything isn’t always feasible. It’s better to take an active approach and do what you can, rather than wait and lose a lot of progress.
Have a plan – this is where the next two steps come into play. Being systematic, conservative, and gradual is key to overcoming these nagging obstacles

2. Modify your workload, don’t quit

The second part of the self-rehabilitation framework is the most important. To keep moving forward, you must modify your workouts accordingly. Don’t quit!

A key idea here is to find what’s called an ‘entry point’. Find a workload that is tolerable, that you can do with minimal pain, and that you feel is sustainable. To do this, you may need to modify your current routine. Some of the ways to do this are:

Reduce the Load/Volume

Doing fewer sets, lifting less weight, or doing less repetitions are all ways to adjust your workload while still moving your body. For example, maybe you can’t do 5 sets of 10 repetitions like you could before your knee started aching, but can you do 3 sets of 8? Maybe you can’t deadlift 150 pounds like you could before your back started acting up, but can you deadlift 100 pounds without pain?

Reduce the Range of Motion

As a secondary adjustment, you can limit the range of motion of a movement. Maybe the squat movement itself doesn’t bother your knee, but rather the deep range when your knee is most bent. In this case, try reducing the range of motion. You may even find that you can manage to do the same load or volume that you could previously.

Substitute The Exercise

If adjusting the load, volume, or range of motion does not seem to make an exercise more tolerable, try temporarily substituting the movement with another that can achieve the same objective.

Examples of Modifications

You may find that you can’t deadlift at your pre-pain weight all the way from the floor. You can adjust the movement by:

Despite reducing the weight or the range of motion, you may still find it too aggravating. In this case, you can substitute the movement for an alternative exercise. In the deadlift example, if you’re doing a classic barbell deadlift, you could swap it out for other hinging movements, such as a trap bar deadlift, stiff-legged deadlift, or even something like a glute bridge or hip thrust. Remember, these adjustments don’t have to be permanent.

To find a suitable alternative exercise, first think about what pattern of movement you’re trying to perform, such as a squat, lunge, hinge, push, or pull. Then, experiment with a variation that avoids or limits the time spent in the problematic/painful portion or position of those movements.

Make sure that you don’t reduce all the variables as a first step. Ask yourself: what’s the most I can still do? Remember, if your “ceiling” is the maximum weight, volume and range that you can handle, and your “floor” is doing absolutely nothing, you want to work down from your ceiling not up from your floor.

Be Aware

I will once again reiterate that this article is primarily concerned with minor aches and pains. There are more severe injuries that benefit from close to full rest, followed by a specific and tailored rehabilitation protocol. This is where a professional should be consulted to design an appropriate treatment plan.

3. Celebrate progress

The final step in this self-rehabilitation framework is celebrating progress. The more you recognize and appreciate your progress, the more you build your confidence to keep driving forward. With the momentum created by frequent success, you are less likely to become impatient with your rehab journey. Instead of making irresponsible jumps in workload out of frustration, you will be able to confidently make small changes for the better.

To help you see small wins as you achieve them, consider your workload in relation to your pain level. Three signs that you’re making progress could be:

Conclusion

Although some may still deal with various aches and pains, many that have followed this framework are now able to do so much more than they could before. Whether it’s a client with a back injury that can now deadlift pain-free, or a client with a chronic shoulder issue that is able to do pull-ups and push-ups without flare-ups, there are many instances where following this approach has helped people progress, despite their obstacles.

Remember, being totally pain-free right away is not always realistic. Recognizing improvement, no matter how small, can make a substantial difference in your journey to better health, both physically and psychologically.

Begin Your Journey with Us

If you’re finding it challenging to get started on your journey, feel free to reach out to us for a complimentary consultation. We would be more than happy to offer some guidance to help you move forward. Sometimes taking the first step is the hardest, so don’t hesitate to get some help to kickstart the process. We all start somewhere.