I've had new patients (and potential patients) ask me if physical therapy treatment will hurt. I explain to my patients that our first goal is to reduce their pain levels before we restore any lost functionality. Many times I will start with hands-on techniques to reduce pain, restore tissue pliability, and generally prepare the patient, so they can advance without hindrance through exercise and activity training toward their ultimate goal.
Depending on the patient’s needs, we may spend considerable time in our gym or workout area. When I show a patient how to use a certain weight machine, I emphasize that while the exercise may feel uncomfortable, the patient should never experience pain, particularly in the tendon and joint areas. With the first hint of pain, my patient stops lifting that particular weight, and we adjust the joint angle of the movement to a pain-free range. In some cases, the patient may need to stop and work on joint and tendon lubricating exercises before the strength training is resumed for that session.
If you injure yourself, especially as a beginner, you may give up on strength training, fearing that you will hurt yourself again. So, it is important that you know the proper form to avoid injury and that you listen to your body's pain signals. If something hurts, stop and review that your form is correct. If it is, you may need to lower the weight or adjust the movement you're making to put less stress on your tendons and joints in particular. You may want to hire a professional weight trainer so that you can be sure that you are lifting properly and avoiding potential injury. They may also help you adjust certain lifts to put less stress on your joints and tendons.
