Aches and pains are often accepted as simply being a part of life, but it doesn’t have to be this way and, in fact, you would perhaps be wise to listen to your body when you do feel twinges, sore muscles and stiffness, rather than pushing through the pain.
Oftentimes, issues will naturally resolve themselves over time – as long as you don’t put undue stress and strain on parts of your body that are already registering complaints.
The key is being able to recognise when aches and pains are manifesting as a natural response to exercise (such as delayed onset muscle soreness), or if they’re signifying something more serious that should not be ignored.
For example, if as you’re moving around you experience sharp, sudden pain, it’s important to stop what you’re doing, rather than continuing and pushing through the pain. Doing so could cause serious and potentially lasting damage, which could take a long time to resolve.
If you’re experiencing pain that doesn’t resolve itself quickly with rehab work or periods of rest, this is also not something to be ignored. If you’re still in pain after a couple of days, going to see a physiotherapist or even your GP could prove particularly useful.
Always err on the side of caution when it comes to pain. If it’s severe or persistent, it may be that you’ve caused yourself a serious injury of some kind, whether that’s a muscle tear, a stress fracture or something else.
Also make sure you take into account other symptoms like serious swelling, pressure or bruising or anything else that doesn’t look as it usually would. This is a signal that there may be something deeper at play that certainly shouldn’t be ignored.
The likelihood is that there won’t be anything too serious but it’s always best to get checked
