The mantra “sport is medicine” is widespread, but for many dedicated amateur and professional athletes, that remedy comes with a bitter aftertaste. While some muscle soreness signals progress, chronic pain from sports can take over your life. When that nagging knee or stiff back persists for longer than three months, you’re officially dealing with chronic complaints – a signal not to ignore.
The High Pain Tolerance Paradox
Research from the xPED project (a collaboration between the universities of Groningen and Oldenburg) highlights a key issue: we often push through ‘minor’ pains for too long. Athletes are adept at ignoring discomfort. This high pain tolerance is useful during a final sprint, but dangerous in the long run. It disrupts your body’s natural warning system, preventing acute injuries from fully healing.
Your Body is (Too) Clever
Physiotherapist Gijsbert Vogelzang recognizes this pattern. Athletes are generally very decent at movement, which can paradoxically be a disadvantage when injured. “Your body is super smart,” Gijsbert explains. “Athletes can easily perform a movement slightly differently to continue. But eventually, those options run out, or the sport demands too much.” The result? The same structure is continuously overloaded, and without adequate recovery time, the pain persists.
The ‘Ibuprofen Culture’
To still compete, some athletes turn to pain relievers. Data from the xPED research is concerning: a staggering 94 percent of student athletes use painkillers to continue training. Scientific research warns that regular use of medications like ibuprofen during intense exertion is risky for the stomach and kidneys, and can hinder recovery.
Gijsbert sees a more positive trend in his practice: “I don’t get the impression that athletes take pain medication for extended periods before seeking advice from a doctor or physiotherapist.”
Smarter Training: The 3 Pain Rules
How do you know when to stop and when it’s okay to ‘sense’? Gijsbert gives his clients three simple rules to relearn how to listen to their bodies. If any of these rules yield a negative result, reduce the speed, frequency, or intensity of the activity.
- The 3-Score: Rate your pain on a scale of 10. During exercise or training, your pain level should not exceed a 3.
- The 60-Minute Check: Within 30 to 60 minutes after your activity, the pain should return to the level it was before you started.
- The 24-Hour Rule: The day after your training, you should not experience an increase in symptoms, such as an extra painful shoulder or a swollen knee.
Honest Recovery
Chronic pain is rarely a matter of bad luck; it’s more often a sign that the balance between stress and rest is completely lost. The xPED project and experts like Gijsbert aim for to teach us that rest isn’t ‘lost time,’ but an essential part of your training. If a pain starts to dominate your daily life, take a break and consult an expert. This ensures that sport remains a source of energy, rather than a daily battle against pain.
