Why Does It Hurt? Understanding "Too Much, Too Soon"
We’ve all been there. The first warm weekend of spring arrives, and you decide to spend eight hours straight mulching the garden. Or, after a long winter hiatus, you head to the gym and jump straight back into your old running pace. Perhaps you’re an experienced lifter who felt great and decided to skip the warm-up to chase a heavy deadlift PR.
Then, the next morning, it hits you: that sharp tweak in your back or the nagging ache in your knee.
When patients ask us, "Why is this happening to me?" they are often looking for a specific "bad" movement to blame. But the truth is much more empowering: It’s rarely the exercise or the chore itself that is the problem. It’s a matter of Load vs. Capacity.
The Science of Tissue Tolerance
Your body is incredibly adaptable, but that adaptation takes time. Every tissue in your body, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bone, has a specific threshold of tolerance.
When we talk about "doing too much too soon," we are discussing load management. Research, including a prominent meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggests that rapid spikes in "acute" workload (what you did this week) compared to "chronic" workload (what you’ve prepared for over the last month) is a primary predictor of injury risk [1].
Whether it's a shovel or a barbell, if the load exceeds your tissue's current capacity to recover, the body signals a warning.
Pain is Multifactorial
It is a common misconception that pain equals tissue damage. Modern neuroscience shows us that pain is multifactorial. It isn't just about the physical stress on your joints; it’s influenced by:
Sleep quality and fatigue
Stress levels
Nutritional status
Previous activity levels
A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) published in The Lancet highlights that psychosocial factors and lifestyle habits often play a larger role in persistent back pain than the structural "wear and tear" seen on imaging [2]. In short: if you’re stressed, under slept, and then try to tackle a massive home project or hit a personal best in the gym, your nervous system is much more likely to "turn up the volume" on pain.
Moving from Frustrated to Empowered
The good news? Your body is not fragile. You aren’t "broken" because you overdid it; you’re simply in a state where your current load exceeded your current readiness.
As wellness-oriented chiropractors, our goal isn't just to "fix" a spot, but to help you expand your capacity. Here is how we bridge the gap:
Manual Therapy (Spinal & Extremity Manipulation): We focus on restoring joint motion to areas that may feel restricted or guarded. Evidence suggests that joint manipulation can help modulate the nervous system, reducing the "threat" response and providing a window of decreased pain so you can move again.
Soft Tissue Therapy: We use various techniques to address muscle tension and improve local blood flow, helping those overworked tissues recover.
Targeted Movement & Guidance: While our primary focus is on hands-on care, we also provide specific movement strategies and foundational rehab exercises when needed. By offering guidance on how to safely reintroduce activity, we help you navigate the recovery process and build the confidence to return to your daily tasks.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re a seasoned athlete chasing a heavy lift or someone simply trying to get through a long list of weekend chores after a quiet winter, the path to recovery isn't about avoiding movement, it’s about managing it. We are here to help you build that resilience.
Ready to get back to doing what you love?
Visit us at Core Chiropractic & Wellness in Watertown, SD. You can book an appointment online or call us directly at 605-886-8650 to schedule your visit.
——-Written by Dr. Nate Jung
References:
British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM): Meta-analysis on the Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio and injury risk.
The Lancet: Randomized Controlled Trials regarding the multifactorial nature of low back pain and lifestyle influences.
