Pain from overtraining - what to do?

(polska wersja TUTAJ)

Agnieszka O. wrote:

What to do if I overtrained and after exercises all is left is pain. Are there any home methods or other ways to get rid of it other than visiting specialists? I am writting about pain, which stops me from everyday activities and to visit specialist I ave to wait aprox. 7 days if not more.

Agnieszka, first and first of all, pain is a warning sign that something has happened or is happening in the body. However, not every pain is a sign of something bad going on. For example, the pain (or rather a change in the way we perceive a stimulus that is stronger than usual) during stretching session associated with the sensation of muscles being stretched is a good “pain” as long as it does not turn into a very shooting, dull, sharp or stabbing pain accompanied by a lot of resistance in muscles. Based on what you wrote, I would say your body is sending a clear signal that you are making a mistake somewhere. After a good stretching session of a healthy (without contraindications to stretching) body such pain should not occur. What may occur in delayed onset muscle soreness (a process that is often not fully comprehended), result of action affecting soft tissues.

Before giving you any advice on how to eliminate the pain, I will tell what I would do if such pain occurred or was occurring after stretching:

• I would temporarily put these trainings on hold, as the body clearly says they are not suitable.
• I would go to see a specialist: orthopaedic surgeon and physiotherapist to make sure it is not a question of some spinal disease.
• If these specialists did not find any irregularities, I would immediately change the instructor, search for some other stretching class. And if I was stretching on my own, I would look for a stretching specialist.
• I would watch closely how my body responds to a particular training method and I would adjust the range of exercises and the intensity of trainings very carefully.

Now, a few pieces of advice on how to get rid of the pain, but, obviously, prevention is always a better solution:

• Warm bath with the addition of 1kg of salt
• Warming or/and analgesic ointment applied on the painful spot
• Massage, with roller or ball, of the painful spot
• Lots of sleep, it boosts regeneration
• Drinking a lot of water, which helps to eliminate toxins and, thus, speeds up regeneration
• If pain comes from too big tension of certain muscle (and a lot of pains do) - you need to...stretch this muscle.

However, do not forget that these are the methods used in case of usual after-training soreness. They do not apply for the treatment of strains or of torn muscles and tendons, or of other more serious injuries. Also remember to always consult a specialist before putting into use any method recommended by someone not medically qualified.