Traffic Light System for Pain with Exercise
The saying “no pain, no gain” does not always hold true when it comes to rehabbing an injury. Sometimes too much pain can be a sign that you are overloading the tissues, other times it means that your nervous system feels threatened by the movement. Either way, our end goal is to decrease pain, not make it worse. The Numerical Pain Rating Scale is a commonly used rating system in healthcare, from 0 – no pain, to 10 – the worst pain you can imagine. This can be split up into three sections like a traffic light:
Green light (0-3): A little bit of discomfort during your exercises is ok. This pain should dissipate soon after completion of the exercise.
Yellow light (4-5): This is a sign that you are pushing your body towards its limit. If the pain is not subsiding after completing your exercises, or if you feel worse the next day, this can be a sign that you are not recovering well from your exercises. In this case, reduce the load until you are back in the green zone.
Red light (6-10): Intense pain during or after your exercise is a sign that your body is not adapting well to the stress you are placing upon it. Exercising repetitively in this zone can cause injuries to persist for longer.
