When your back hurts, your first instinct may be to stop moving.
And during a significant flare-up, temporarily modifying what you're doing can certainly be appropriate.
But back pain doesn't always mean you need complete rest.
Movement Is Usually Your Friend
For many uncomplicated episodes of lower back pain, gentle movement and remaining reasonably active are generally encouraged.
That doesn't mean pushing through severe pain or ignoring your symptoms.
It means finding movements you can comfortably tolerate rather than spending several days completely avoiding activity.
Do You Have to Stop the Gym?
Not necessarily.
Sometimes the better approach is to modify rather than stop.
You might temporarily:
Reduce your weights
Reduce your range of motion
Change an aggravating exercise
Reduce training volume
Choose comfortable alternatives
As symptoms improve, you can gradually rebuild.
Pain Doesn't Always Equal Damage
Pain is important information, but the relationship between pain and tissue damage isn't always straightforward.
A painful movement doesn't automatically mean you're causing further injury.
However, new or significant symptoms still deserve appropriate assessment—particularly following trauma or when neurological symptoms are present.
When Should You Seek Help?
Seek assessment if pain is severe, worsening, follows significant trauma or is associated with symptoms such as progressive weakness, numbness, changes to bladder or bowel control, numbness around the groin/saddle area, fever or unexplained illness.
Getting Back to What You Enjoy
At Align & Restore Chiropractic in Strathmore, our aim isn't simply to tell people what they can't do.
Where appropriate, we want to help you find ways to keep moving and gradually rebuild confidence in your body.