When Training Starts Causing Pain
Back pain, neck pain, and stress related injuries can develop through repetitive loading, sudden trauma, excessive training, or changes in activity.
Dr Anthony Kamel assesses sports related musculoskeletal pain with a focus on identifying what is causing the symptoms, how movement and training may be contributing, and what is needed for a safe return to activity.
Back pain can develop during gym training, running, contact sports, repetitive lifting, or other physical activities.
The cause can vary, which is why persistent or recurring pain should be properly assessed before deciding on treatment or returning to full activity.
Neck pain may develop following impact, repetitive loading, training, or certain sports movements.
Symptoms can include pain, stiffness, or restricted movement. Persistent or recurring symptoms should be assessed rather than repeatedly trained through.
Stress fractures are bone injuries that can develop gradually when repetitive loading exceeds the bone's ability to recover and adapt.
Pain may initially occur during physical activity and become more persistent as the injury progresses. Because symptoms can develop gradually rather than after one obvious injury, recognizing persistent or localized pain is particularly important.
Not every sports injury happens suddenly.
Some injuries develop progressively when repeated stress and training demands exceed the body's current ability to recover and adapt.
This may occur following sudden changes in training frequency, intensity, duration, or load.
For athletes, assessment may consider:
The goal is not simply to stop the pain. It is to understand why it developed and how to return safely without repeating the same cycle.
Pain Shouldn't Automatically Be Ignored.
Some temporary discomfort can occur with physical activity, but persistent, worsening, or recurring pain should not simply be trained through.
This is particularly important when pain becomes increasingly noticeable during activity, repeatedly returns with training, or becomes more persistent over time.
Assessment considers:
The solution isn't always complete rest.
The objective is to determine what can be continued, what needs to be modified, and how activity can be safely rebuilt.
Treatment starts with understanding how the symptoms developed, the physical examination, activity demands, and training history.
Imaging may be used when clinically appropriate, particularly when a structural injury or stress fracture is suspected. The need for imaging depends on the symptoms, examination, and suspected diagnosis.
For many sports related musculoskeletal problems, the objective is to address the cause, restore function, and progressively return to activity when it is safe to do so.
Consider an assessment if you experience:
Persistent pain should not automatically be accepted as part of training, particularly when symptoms are worsening, recurring, or limiting activity.
No. Back pain in athletes can have different causes. An assessment helps identify the likely source of the symptoms and determine whether further investigation or treatment is necessary.
A stress fracture is a bone injury that develops gradually through repeated loading and stress on the bone, rather than from one major traumatic event.
Yes. Stress related bone injuries can affect the spine in athletes, particularly when certain movements and loads are repeatedly placed on the lower back.
The diagnosis should be based on the athlete's symptoms, examination, activity, and appropriate imaging when necessary.
It depends on the cause. Mild pain does not always mean a serious injury, but pain that persists, worsens, changes your movement, or repeatedly returns with activity should be assessed before increasing training load.
There is no single timeline.
Return depends on the diagnosis, healing, symptoms, strength, function, load tolerance, and demands of the activity or sport.
The goal is not simply to become pain free, but to be physically ready for the demands of training again.
Dr Anthony Kamel is a French trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, sports surgery, arthroscopy, and minimally invasive techniques.
His background in Biomechanical Engineering contributes to his approach to understanding movement, forces, load distribution, and the physical demands placed on the body during sport and exercise.
START YOUR RECOVERY
Whether you're dealing with recurring back or neck pain, a suspected stress fracture, or symptoms that appear every time you train, the first step is understanding what is causing the problem and how to return to activity safely.
Dr Anthony Kamel
