True or False: “No Pain, No Gain”

By Frank, J. Scerbo, PT, DPT, MS, CSCS///

Spring is in the air, and many of us will be tempted to haul the bike out of the garage, hike up a mountain, or take up tennis again. But if your activity level was lower over the winter, too much too soon can be a sure formula for injury and/or pain. At Scerbo PT & Sports Rehab, our therapists specialize in guided movement and exercise to help people stay healthy, and relieve and avoid pain. To a physical therapist, that adage is false – we are trained to help you work toward the gain, without the pain.

Setting Goals
Whether it’s losing weight, getting healthier and feeling better, taking up a new sport, or upping your performance level in your current sport, it’s important to start with goals you can achieve, especially if you haven’t worked out in a while and your activity level is low. To reduce your risk of injury, it’s important to give your body time to adjust when starting your exercise program. Working together with your Scerbo physical therapist, you will be able to develop a realistic exercise regimen to get you to where you want to be.

Lighten the Load
If your exercise load is too great, too soon, you won’t recover well between workouts and risk the possibility of injury. Doing a few reps with a heavy weight or a lot of reps with a light weight may actually give you the same benefit. Similarly, a slower, longer run on flat terrain will create less physical stress than starting out at a fast pace uphill. As your muscles and joints adapt, your physical therapist can advise you how to increase the exercise load when appropriate.

An Ounce of Preparation
On days when you exercise, you’ll want to make sure you properly warm up before starting with any strengthening exercises. Walking dynamically or in-place, along with some dynamic stretching will get your body prepared for your workout activity. And of course, be sure to hydrate before, during, and after exercise.

Soreness vs. Pain
We’ve all experienced the muscle soreness that hits after doing some new or different exercise or activity. This delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is an inflammatory response that happens about eight hours after, peaks one to two days later, and usually goes away by the fourth day. Some DOMS might be expected after you start a new or different exercise. However, soreness that happens during or right after an exercise could indicate an injury. Your Scerbo therapist will show you how to achieve your fitness goals and experience the gain – without the pain!