It is okay to push into some discomfort during your exercise programme. This is because we are pushing the muscles and soft tissues to adapt to a new stress or strain. Aim to avoid causing pain that does not settle back to baseline within 24 hours. Pain does not mean you have caused damage; it is often your body letting you know that you have challenged it.


When exercising with an injury, it is often thought that pain equals harm. This is not necessarily true.We often use a 0-10 scale to grade how bad the pain is that you are experiencing.

This graphic shows this as a traffic light system.When you are completing your exercises consider how the pain feels.

0-3 or green is regarded as a safe zone and activity should continue.

4-5 or orange is an acceptable level of discomfort to be feeling when exercising and is safe to continue with and should settle within 24 hours of stopping.

6-10 or the red zone is seen as too much and you should think about modifying the exercise, reducing the weight being used or avoiding that exercise all together and trying again the next day.

Staying active during injury will not do harm, it is important to be aware of what is considered reasonable. If the worsening pain persists for a few days after exercise please consult your physiotherapist or healthcare professional.

Flare ups of pain are a common part of the recovery process. Be reassured, this is a temporary increase in pain that will often improve with rest and by gradually resuming your activities. Using ice packs or a warm pack can help to reduce pain and inflammation. Try these, covered in a thin towel for 15 minutes, a few times per day. Sometimes you may need pain relief to help your pain to settle. You should discuss this with your GP or pharmacist if you have any questions.

Listen to your body. It is beneficial to find a type of exercise that you can continue to do. It is safe to work through a low level of pain. If a particular type of exercise is too painful then reduce or avoid this activity initially.

There is a poor link between changes visible on x-ray and symptoms of osteoarthritis. You can be in lots of pain but have minimal changes on x-ray and vice versa. Changes seen on X-ray does not mean you have to stop being active – Keeping active can help knee pain.

An x-ray is not necessary to diagnose arthritis. It is only needed if you are going to have joint replacement surgery. An x-ray can be useful if it is not obvious if the knee joint is contributing to your symptoms and your symptoms are lasting longer than 3 months.

Most people will never need a joint replacement and can manage their symptoms conservatively.

Physiotherapists are able to perform steroid injections for certain knee conditions including osteoarthritis. Whilst injections can be very effective in the short term, research shows medium to long term relief is not often achieved, and physiotherapy is the best long-term option for pain relief. Your physiotherapist will be able to discuss if an injection is appropriate if you are being seen within the Physiotherapy Outpatient Service.

Giving way is a common feeling most often associated with pain. It is not a sign of your injury being worse because of this.