Living With Pain… There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel!
Pain (urgh) is one of the most common reasons people stop exercising. If something hurts, the instinct is to rest, protect the area and wait for it to pass.
But what if staying still, while sometimes exactly the right thing to do, isn't always the best strategy?
The research is increasingly clear that gentle, consistent movement plays a really positive role in how people with pain feel over time. Not always immediately. Not without care and common sense. But the evidence points in an encouraging direction.
As a personal trainer specialising in pain and injury recovery, working almost exclusively with people over 50, that's something I see reflected in my work every day.
Pain Is Not Always the Same as Damage
This is probably the most important thing I can share, and it's something that even the medical world is still getting to grips with. Pain research is a rapidly evolving field and the science is clear that we do not yet fully understand it. What we do know is growing all the time, and some of what we thought we knew is being challenged and refined.
Pain is a signal from your brain. It's your body's alarm system, designed to get your attention and protect you. But here's something worth knowing: pain doesn't always mean there is tissue damage happening. And tissue damage doesn't always cause pain.
Your brain interprets signals from the body based on a huge range of factors including your mood, your past experiences, your stress levels, how much sleep you've had and what you expect to happen. Two people can have identical scans and one will be in real discomfort while the other feels nothing. Pain is genuinely that complex.
This matters because if we assume pain always means damage, the natural response is to stop moving. And for many people, that's where the real difficulty begins. But understanding this also opens a door. Because if pain isn't always about damage, then movement isn't always the threat it might feel like.
The Pain Loop
One of the reasons pain can be so persistent is something called the pain feedback loop. A trigger, whether physical, emotional or environmental, creates a sensation. The brain processes that sensation at lightning speed, drawing on past experience, current mood and context to decide whether it represents danger. If it concludes danger, the body responds: muscles tense, stress hormones are released, and anxiety rises. And that anxiety can itself become a trigger that keeps the loop going, even when the original cause has long since passed.
This is why chronic pain can feel so confusing and frustrating. The loop keeps firing not because something is still wrong, but because the nervous system has learned to stay on high alert. Understanding this is actually a reason for hope, because what can be learned can also be unlearned, gradually and with the right support.
Pain Is More Than Just Physical
This is something that doesn't get talked about enough. Pain doesn't exist in isolation. It has physical, psychological and social dimensions, all happening at the same time.
On the physical side, something in the body triggers a response. But your psychological state, your mood, your confidence, your anxiety levels, shapes how that signal is interpreted and experienced. And your social environment, whether you feel supported, isolated, understood or dismissed, plays a role too.
This is why two people with the same injury can have completely different experiences of pain. And it's why approaches that only address the physical part of the picture often fall short.
It also explains why exercise, community and connection are so powerful in managing pain. They work on all three levels at once. The movement helps the body. The sense of achievement and progress helps the mind. And being part of something warm and encouraging helps with the isolation that pain so often brings with it.
Getting a Proper Diagnosis
None of this is an argument for pushing through pain without getting it checked. If you have pain that is new, severe, not going away or accompanied by other symptoms, please see your doctor first.
Without a proper diagnosis, we simply don't know what we're dealing with, what's causing it, how long it should last or what the right course of action is. A diagnosis gives you a map.
In the UK, the professionals qualified to diagnose are your GP, a physiotherapist, a chiropractor or an osteopath. Your GP can diagnose across all conditions and refer you onwards. The other three specialise in musculoskeletal problems, which covers the vast majority of pain related to muscles, joints and movement. All four will refer you on if something falls outside their scope.
It's also worth saying that if you have pain that simply isn't going away, that in itself is a reason to get it looked at properly rather than just managing it indefinitely.
You'll also notice a lot of content online promising quick fixes for specific pain. "Here are three exercises to fix your knee pain." It's well-intentioned but without knowing what's actually causing your pain it's really just a guess. Getting a proper assessment is always the better starting point.
When you do see a qualified professional, some useful questions to ask:
What is the likely cause of this pain?
Is this acute or chronic and what does that mean for how I manage it?
What activities are safe for me to continue?
How long should I expect recovery to take?
What are the signs that things are improving?
Acute and Chronic Pain: What's the Difference?
Acute pain is linked to a specific event or injury and typically lasts up to three months. It's the body doing its job, signalling that something needs attention and protection.
Chronic pain is different. Defined as pain lasting more than six months, it often continues long after the original cause has settled. This is sometimes because the nervous system stays in a heightened state of alert, sending pain signals even when the immediate danger has passed. It can feel confusing and frustrating, especially when scans come back clear or treatments don't seem to help.
But this is also where there is real reason for hope. Because the nervous system is adaptable. With the right approach, many people find that chronic pain becomes significantly more manageable over time. It rarely happens overnight, but it does happen.
The Role of Gentle Movement
For chronic pain in particular, the evidence around movement is really encouraging. Research shows that exercise activates the body's own natural pain-relieving response, triggering the release of endorphins, serotonin and other chemicals that help calm an overactive nervous system. Research published in 2025 also found that some discomfort during exercise may not need to be avoided for people to see real improvement in pain and function over time.
That doesn't mean going flat out or pushing through something that feels genuinely wrong. It means finding the movements that feel manageable, starting there and building gradually and consistently over time.
In my experience, that's where the real progress happens. Not in one big heroic effort, but in small, steady steps taken week after week. And those steps add up more than most people expect.
Diet, Rest and Recovery
Movement is important but it isn't everything. Looking after the basics makes a real difference too.
Sleep matters enormously. Poor sleep and pain have a well-established relationship and prioritising good rest is one of the simplest things you can do to support your body.
Diet plays a role as well. Chronic inflammation is linked to persistent pain, and a diet rich in vegetables, oily fish, wholegrains and healthy fats can help. Reducing processed foods and excess sugar is also worth considering.
And rest does have its place. Short periods of rest after activity are completely normal and sensible. The aim is restorative rest that supports recovery, balanced with enough gentle movement to stop things from seizing up.
Returning to Exercise
Pain is a hurdle, not a full stop. And in my experience, there is almost always a way over, under or around it.
One thing I always ask clients is this: what is the pain stopping you from doing? What would you love to be able to do again? Because sometimes it's not about tackling pain head-on. It's about finding a way to work around it so that life gradually opens back up.
If pain has kept you from moving for a while, starting again can feel daunting. But for most people, there is a way back, and it usually starts smaller than you'd think.
Start with what feels most comfortable. There is almost always something you can do, even if it's gentle seated movement, a slow walk or some light stretching.
Build gradually. Small, consistent steps over weeks are far more valuable than one big effort that leads to a flare-up.
Expect some discomfort along the way. Muscles that haven't been used for a while will ache. That's completely normal. The question to ask yourself is not just "does this hurt?" but "is this the kind of discomfort I can manage?"
And be kind to yourself on the difficult days. Progress with pain is rarely a straight line. But most people who keep showing up, even gently and imperfectly, find that things gradually improve.
The Bigger Picture
Yes, exercise carries some risk. Everyone has days where something flares up or a session feels harder than expected. That's real and it's worth being sensible about.
But the research is clear that, for most people, gentle and consistent physical activity reduces pain intensity, improves function, and supports both physical and mental well-being over time. The International Association for the Study of Pain notes that recommending physical activity is known to reduce pain intensity and disability, as well as improve strength, flexibility, cardiovascular health and mood.
Pain can feel like a full stop. In most cases, it's much more of a comma.
At Jim's Gym, many of our classes have seated options; our instructors understand the challenges of exercising in later life, and the pace genuinely meets you where you are. If pain has been a barrier to getting active, we'd love to help you find a way around it.
Find out more at www.jimsgym.fitness
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