Is It pain or discomfort?

When discussing pain, it is important to be able to identify what is meant by “pain”.

There are many types of pain, and each can indicate something different. For example, if a person has experienced a physical trauma such as a broken bone, sprained ankle, or a fall from a bike, this can and will likely result in what is termed “pain”. One might feel a muscle ache or soreness, or a sharp painful feeling that may suggest tissue damage. One may experience nerve pain describing it as numbing, tingling, or possibly shooting and this can an often indicates nervous system involvement. If pain is experienced in the chest and it feels sharp, or feels like pressure, it may indicate cardiac involvement, and this pain should not be ignored. In most cases, pain is the body’s way of saying slow down, remove the traumatizing stimulus, and allow the system to heal in order to continue making forward progress.

Having said that, there is also the type of pain that often gets misunderstood. This pain, which may be better described as discomfort is what is to be expected when we workout, or experience something difficult. In my 10 plus years in physical therapy, as well as my 20 plus years in sports training, fitness and the military, I have seen how this discomfort gets confused with pain and vice versa.

It is common in society to brand ourselves with sayings and phrases that indicate our degree of toughness. Slogans such as “Pain is weakness leaving the body” or “No pain, no gain” are a few of these sayings. There is not a problem with these sayings especially when they are understood and respected. However, being in the clinic as long as I have, I have seen patients who have sustained soft tissue injury or undergo surgery experience pain while doing their exercises and tell me, “No pain no gain”. Right? Wrong! Some pain is to be expected, especially for those who had surgery but patients also need to understand that the surgery or soft tissue injury will take time to heal and every time they work into high amounts of pain they are causing micro trauma that can set them back.

On the other hand, I have worked with patients who after doing light to moderate exercises tell me they have pain in a particular body structure. When asked about their “pain”, the individual points to the muscle belly and states that “it feels like a muscle burn”. Should this person stop exercising? No! The pain, or really in this case, the discomfort they are feeling is an expected outcome of muscle activity. This discomfort can vary from person to person and can be the block that keeps them from moving forward but it can also be the catalyst for them to move ahead!

“Pain (or discomfort) due to working out is merely our system telling us about processes going on in the body. So, as it pertains to “Pain is weakness leaving the body” the pain can better or should be understood that when exerting daily effort through working out, one becomes physically stronger and more adaptable, they are also becoming mentally stronger and more adaptable. That transition is what is meant by, “pain is weakness leaving the body”. While doing a 3-mile run, pull ups, ruck marches, and climbing over walls as part of military training, there will be discomfort, one’s mind will be challenged and will become mentally more resilient through the physical challenges. That too is what is meant by saying, “Pain is weakness leaving the body”.

So, if you feel you are held back from engaging in something because of its physical discomfort, you are short changing yourself no only in the physical strength gains but also the mental strength gains. However, if you come to me after spraining your ankle and keep running of it when in pain, but then tell me, “no pain no gain” then this suggests you really don’t understand!

I want you to get stronger, faster, better physically but I also want you to develop your mental reserves as well. I also want you to stay healthy and injury free so you can do so for years to come, so please take awareness to whether you have genuine pain or discomfort and which of the two you are trying to work though.