“Hurt” is an odd word here. There are two kinds of physical hurt: aches and pains.
Aches
“Aches” are the result of moving your muscles when they aren’t used to it or having pushed them further than they are used to going. Aches are usually a feeling that one or more areas of your body are tender and painful to move or touch. Sometimes, that achy feeling will begin shortly after you exercise; sometimes, it doesn’t happen until the next day. They aren’t anything to be worried about unless they persist for more than three days.
What to do if it hurts
Usually, resting your body and the muscles that ache for a day and taking an over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever will get your muscles ready to move. OTC pain relievers are sometimes referred to as “NSAID”, which stands for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. It’s pronounced “en-said”. They include things like aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, and Aleve. I personally prefer Aleve because it seems to work better on muscle aches, but they can all be helpful.
Pains
“Pain”, on the other hand, is often an indication that an injury has occurred. It is often described as sharp, shooting, stabbing or stinging. It is most likely to occur while you are exercising, not afterward. It usually does not go away on its own.
If you feel a sensation like this while you are moving, STOP immediately. Don’t try to work through the pain — No Pain, No Gain is nonsense. Continuing to move will usually only make the problem worse.
What to do if it hurts
- Stop exercising. You can make the injury worse if you continue to move the muscle or joint.
- Think about what happened before you felt pain. Were you exercising? if so what were you doing? What kind of pain was it? Stabbing, shooting, stinging?Where did you feel it? Make a detailed description of what is happening to you will help your medical professional determine what went wrong.
- See a medical professional. They will examine your injury and assess how bad it is and what can be done to fix the injury and ease your pain.
- Follow the instructions your medical professional gives you. That includes continuing to take any medications they prescribe for as long as they tell you to take it and resting, using heat or cold on your injury, for as long as they say. Your body will begin to try to heal itself as soon as you injure it and will continue to heal even after what you felt as pain is gone.
- You might be able to continue exercising other parts of your body even while you are recovering from an injury. Ask your medical professional what movements you can do while recovering.