I’m Hurting. Should I Still Move?

Gentle Exercise may help more than you think!

Pain has a way of making us second-guess everything. When people are experiencing musculoskeletal pain for an extended period of time, one response is to not exercise and decrease activity. Rest feels like the only logical solution! In most cases, this inactivity should be avoided.

Our bodies are designed for movement. Motion keeps blood circulating through muscles, joints, organs, and even the brain. It helps joints stay lubricated, tissues stay nourished, and the mind stay clear. When movement disappears completely, stiffness, weakness, and fatigue often creep in alongside pain.

This does not mean pushing through or ignoring signals from your body. It means understanding how movement works with your body rather than against it.

How Movement Can Reduce Pain

Exercise and gentle movement influence the body on multiple levels. As you move, your body releases hormones such as endorphins that naturally help decrease pain perception. At the same time, neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin increase, which can support mood and emotional regulation.

Hormones and neurotransmitters work differently, but they are deeply connected. Neurotransmitters send fast, targeted signals between nerve cells. Hormones travel more slowly through the bloodstream and influence broader systems. Together, they help the brain and body communicate clearly. Movement stimulates this communication, which is one reason pain can feel less intense as the body becomes stronger and more resilient.

Exercise also affects how the brain processes stress. Regular movement has been shown to blunt the brain’s response to both physical and emotional stress. Over time, areas of the brain involved in memory and learning, such as the hippocampus, can even increase in volume. Many people notice clearer thinking, improved focus, better task-switching ability, and a more stable mood when movement becomes consistent again.

Why Pain Often Develops in the First Place

Musculoskeletal pain usually has a story behind it. Sometimes it begins with inefficient biomechanics, meaning the way one joint moves in relation to another places strain on tissues over time. Alignment and movement patterns matter more than most people realize.

Pain can also linger after an old injury that never fully healed. Scar tissue may form and create tension that pulls on nearby structures, leading to discomfort that feels unrelated to the original injury. In other cases, joint changes such as osteoarthritis develop later in life, especially in areas that were injured years earlier. Genetics can also play a role.

Another common contributor is prolonged positioning and habitual posture. Sitting or moving the same way day after day can gradually overload certain tissues while others weaken, creating imbalance and pain.

So Should You Exercise When You Hurt?

The answer is, sometimes! The goal is appropriate movement that supports circulation, strength, coordination, and confidence. Pain can make movement feel intimidating, but in many cases, movement is part of the solution. Gentle, intentional exercise helps the body heal, supports the nervous system, and restores confidence over time. You do not need to force your way through pain. You need guidance, awareness, and a plan that meets your body where it is.

When You Need Guidance

If you are unsure how to move safely, support matters. Physical Therapists are movement experts trained extensively in biomechanics and human movement. Most practicing Physical Therapists are Doctors of Physical Therapy and are skilled in evaluating how your body moves as a whole.

A Physical Therapist can help identify movement patterns that may be contributing to pain, offer hands-on and verbal feedback, guide posture awareness, and design exercises that build strength without aggravating symptoms. Many insurance plans allow direct access to Physical Therapy without a physician referral, making it easier to get support when you need it.