Working out with body pain

[MaestraAnji]

I'm a little frustrated right now because I have been feeling like crap for a while. I work retail and do public transportation, so often I am fighting not only the discomfort of working out, but also what ever ache I've been dealing with for the day.

Example: My left knee is usually the first thing I feel during a shift. It's this dull sort of 'burn'/discomfort that gets worse the more pressure I put on it, but I notice if I favor it a certain way, it's not to much of a problem.

I'm mostly terrified of hurting myself right now, because I have no insurance and no way to pay if I wreck something on my body.

Help?

[andygates]

Warm up well and ease into it, and if it tweaks, stop. If your pain is general working-on-your-feet grumbles, it should clear as you get going.

...and vote for a more humane healthcare system, neh?

[MaestraAnji]

okay, side note I am an absolute N00B when it comes to working out, how long should I warm up for, how long should I work out and what should I be working on as a recovering internet dweller?

[MuayTyson]

These are pretty involved questions. I like to think everything is individual but on average your warm up could be is little as 5 mins or as much as 20 mins depends on you, the ambient temperature, type of work out, etc.

Work out again can be mini work outs like 10 mins or some people do around 2 hours(I'm not a fan of this unless you are working on skills).

There are a lot of resources here for work out examples just search around a bit.

On the pain issue I would say that standing for 8-10 hours a day in not a very natural state of being but then again neither is sitting that long. You should feel better if your working out many people find the little aches and pains of life go away when after a few weeks of working out.

[Lancor]

Summary for the Time Impaired:

1) I'm bad at giving advice. Please disregard all remaining text.

2) Warm-up time will vary depending on your pain level and location.

3) Read: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/01/09/warm-up/

4) andygates nailed it: "...if it tweaks, stop."

5) Don't do "drugs" and exercise.

6) "Horror Stories" I did #5 and it sucked.

7) Stretch throughout the day (as often as possible), keep moving.

________

Deluxe Directors Cut Extended Edition (For those graced with "free time" and the desire to waste it)

[Disclaimer: I'm not terribly good at giving advice, and I can't speak for your specific situation.] There are so many variables that come into play when you're trying to exercise with pain. I deal with body aches and pains on a daily basis and I can tell you that the length of time I need to warm up varies from day to day. Depending on my level of pain, where the pain is (ie. back, knees, ankle, etc.) I'll need to stretch, or vary my warm-ups according to the situation. Take a read through http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/01/09/warm-up/ and see what your body can tolerate. When starting out, see what you can do without pain.

andygates nailed it: "...if it tweaks, stop."

(Also, if you're in pain during the day and you take some sort of pain killer, (tylenol, advil, vicodin, anything) be careful working out.) You can push your body past its limits easier when you can't feel the specific joint pain. But just wait till the next day...you'll feel it then. I did that last year and it wasn't good. My back had been killing me all day, nothing made it better. But Percocet took the edge off the pain so I could walk around. By the end of my work day I was feeling fine. So I went home, cut down some trees before they fell on my house, cut them up and moved them across the yard. Went to sleep and effectively took myself out of commission for 2 days. (Horror Story I know, but just something to keep in mind.)

If your job allows you the freedom to get up and move around a little bit, try stretching as often as you can during the day. I know that the days that I sit at my desk for 6hr stretches are the days I'm in the most pain. If I get up every hour and get a good stretch in, walk around a bit and get the blood pumping I'm substantially better. I'll see what else I can drum up in regards to "Working out with body pain"...and I'll be back.

[MuayTyson]

I was on Termedal(sp?) and my couldn't feel my feet while squatting. Good advice drugs and working out don't work out well. There is also some evidence that pain killers for DOMS will inhibit muscles growth I think relates to NSAIDS.

[Lancor]

I took NSAID's for 6 years and they did a number on my body. No more, I'm taking Enbrel for my arthritis now. Much less pain, less side effects, I can actually exercise now.

When dealing with pain, I can't stress enough...Stretch, Stretch, Stretch. The difference in how my body feels both before and after a workout seem to rely heavily on stretching (at least for me).

***Note: Stretch but don't hyperextend your joints.

hy·per·ex·tend/ˌhīpərikˈstend/

Verb: Forcefully extend a limb or joint beyond its normal limits, either in exercise or therapy or so as to cause injury.

Good Luck

[MuayTyson]

Tramadol was what I was on bad move!

[MaestraAnji]

Thank you muchly everyone! I with some minor adapting, I think I have my warmup! Yes!