Folks experiencing pain often have fear associated with movement (kinesiophobia). If you experience an acute pain (e.g a low back “tweak”), don’t freak out (catastrophize) and keep yourself moving. This may take some manipulation of exercise selection, sets, reps, and weight, but ultimately it will move you forward in a positive direction because it’ll reinforce pain-free ranges of motion. It could be as simple as getting up and doing some “air” deadlifts or squats. Try to stay in a pain free range of motion (it might be uncomfortable, but that’s okay). Go slow, stay calm, and remind your body that pain is a signal very much derived from the brain. By keeping the body moving we reinforce that nothing serious has been damaged and that we’ll heal just fine.
For a visual of what this looks like, check out this video after a “back tweak.”
