Survey: Americans continue exercising through injuries, making things worse
MIAMI - We've all heard the phrase no pain, no gain, but some types of pain are not normal to experience during a workout.
A new survey finds many Americans keep exercising through injuries, making things worse.
The survey from Orlando Health finds nearly one in five Americans has pain while working out and works through it rather than resting to heal.
Sports medicine physician Dr. George Eldayrie at Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute says it's not always "No pain, no gain."
"A sharp stabbing discomfort or clicking snapping pain. Things that are not allowing you to get your range of motion to complete the exercise. That's not something that you want to continue to work through. They could be little minor strains and they may get better. But if they don't get better and you continue to work through it, it could get worse or could last much longer," he said.
Dr. Eldayrie adds getting better doesn't always mean surgery.
"There's other soft tissue problems and joint mechanic problems that we see on a day-to-day basis that can be fixed non surgically. And some of that is as simple as exercises to do at home, getting in with the right physical therapist. There are certain injections that we can use," he said.
Jen Jordan teaches spin and weightlifting but was experiencing knee pain during her workouts.
"I love fitness. That's a really big part of my life. So, I honestly was getting a little bit nervous, like, what if I'm going to have to, you know, take a few months off or that kind of thing," she said.
Jen admits she was hesitant to have her knee looked at because she was afraid she would need surgery.
"There's not a lot of damage to my knee. It was just kind of the way my kneecap was. So, he gave me some different exercises and stretches to do, and a lot of it was I wasn't properly stretching before and after activity," she said.
The 39-year-old still has a little bit of pain, but it's better since she saw her doctor.
Doctors say other non-surgical options besides PT and home exercises for certain injuries can include injections to reduce inflammation and promote healing, such as corticosteroids and platelet-rich plasma.