Is exercise dangerous? Will it hurt me more?
If you're in pain, I totally get why this question comes up.
When you’re hurting, the idea of moving more can feel scary. A lot of doctors—even well-meaning ones—will tell you to stop moving and just rest. Some physical therapists say the same thing. But in my experience, that advice often leads people in the wrong direction.
The more you rest, the worse things tend to get. You start avoiding movement, your body gets weaker, stiffer, and more sensitive, and pretty soon you're caught in a downward spiral of pain and immobility.
Let me put it this way:
If you stayed in bed for a year, would you feel better or worse?
Exactly. You’d feel awful—because atrophy aches.
Exercise and movement are how your body gets stronger, more resilient, and more adaptable. Rest alone won’t get you out of chronic pain. In most cases, it just makes things worse over time.
If you’re unsure where to start, here are some key articles I recommend:
You’ll also want to check out:
- 🔗 The Physically Feeble FallacyThis explains why so many health professionals still say “just rest” even when your body actually needs movement.
Bottom line:
Unless you have a really rare, exceptional medical condition, your body needs movement to feel better—not more rest.