“You Need to Stop Lifting”
In the world of health, fitness, and rehab, bad or misguided advice is about as common as stretchy bands and awkward stretches. But there is one piece of advice that can cause more damage than almost any other bad advice- and it’s probably not at all what you think! It sounds something like this: “oh if you have _____, you probably shouldn’t ever _____ again.” Here are some examples:
- If you have back pain, you probably shouldn’t ever deadlift or squat again.
- If you have arthritis in your knees, you probably shouldn’t run.
- If you have shoulder pain, you need to stop playing tennis.
Just like that, someone (unfortunately it’s often a medical provider) casually throws out a phrase like that, which can change the entire course of someone’s life! They often don’t explain in more detail why that was their recommendation, why there were no other options, or ask the patient’s opinion on the matter! That’s not good enough! These recommendations need careful consideration, and unfortunately, that consideration is pretty rare.
Every decision about what you should or shouldn’t do involves a weighing of the risks and benefits.
Let’s take returning to lifting after having some back pain as an example here. Many times, if you have back pain, you will be told “well, you really shouldn’t lift that kind of weight again.” But let’s break that advice down a bit. What are the risks of lifting heavy weights if you have previously injured your back? Well, there is a risk reinjuring your back, we can’t deny that. Is it a big risk? That depends, and it depends on a lot of things:
Do you have good form while lifting?
Are you lifting in an intelligent fashion, considering an appropriate weight for your stage of healing, your current capacity, and in relation to other lifting that you’ve done recently?
How’s the rest of your life going? Are you well-rested? Eating well? Managing your stress levels effectively?
If the answer to most of these questions is yes, then the risk of you reinjuring their back is LOW! If these questions were never asked or investigated, then it’s impossible to know if lifting weights is a good or bad idea for you! Now, let's consider the benefits of lifting heavy weights. Increased bone density, muscle mass, and general fitness. Lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Increased capacity to lift things, so that daily tasks aren’t maxing out your body’s capacity. Increased self-confidence. Better mental health. A stronger back. We could go on, but you get the point. So, with all those upsides, and the ability to minimize a lot of the risk associated with lifting weights with appropriate education and coaching, is it really the best advice to “never lift again?” We think the answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Now let’s consider another side of the situation- your opinion.
If lifting weights has given you joy, helped you maintain your sanity while working through the challenges of work, kids, life responsibilities, has given you a great group of friends, and has transformed the way that you think about yourself, then it is an absolutely essential part of your life! Taking away lifting could have far greater risks to your health and wellbeing than for you to get back to it! But again, the “never lift again” advice is almost always given without taking this into account, or even asking about what lifting means to you. The same goes for things like running, tennis, pickleball, basketball, golf…you name it!
As always, we try to look at all sides of the situation here. The person who recommends that someone “never ____ again” has good intentions. They want to keep the person from experiencing more pain. They have been led astray by these good intentions and chosen the advice that seemed the safest to them. But when we really look deeper, avoiding the activity can be the safest option in the short term, but it could have a significant negative impact on your long-term health!
We call ourselves Active Alliance because we want to form an alliance with you, with the intent of keeping you living the active life that you love. When we form that alliance, we want to hear your full story, and how much lifting (or running, or playing a sport, or hiking, or getting on the floor with your little ones) means to you. That allows us to make the right decisions about how to keep you doing what you love; understanding the risks, but also understanding all the long-term benefits that go along with doing something that you love.
