One of the secrets to a long, healthy life is movement – but exercise isn’t without risk. Talk to any regular runner and they’ll tell you (probably unsolicited) about their various niggles, injuries and aches. Alas, knee trouble, hip pain and tendonitis are all too common. Even weight trainers can pull muscles or twinge ligaments if they make a tiny mistake. 

Now, we know that pain is different from muscle soreness. You can work through DOMS (they’re a sign your programme is working) but pain needs to be sorted. That’s why we’ve been asking a sports therapist and a physiotherapist for some of the most common sports-related injuries people come to them with – from neck stiffness to runner’s knee – and the exercises they might use to treat these issues. 

Remember, this is only a guide. If you do think you’ve picked up a serious injury or you’ve got pain that persists and doesn’t ease after a few days’ rest, then you need to see a physio or seek further medical help.

Runner’s knee

“One common lower body injury is runner’s knee, which clients describe as a pain under and in the area of the kneecap,” explains Tamara Tarr, qualified sports therapist and ‘flexpert’ at Flexology Studio. “It usually develops during physical activity, but even long periods of sitting can cause pain.”

Despite it’s name, runner’s knee can affect all sorts of exercisers, including netballers and volleyball players who have to do lots of jumping. 

Treatment

“Exercises I suggest for clients suffering with runner’s knee are squats, single leg squats and lunges. These will all strengthen the quadriceps, and this is needed to minimise the pressure on the kneecap.”

Hip tendinopathy

Kathryn Tilbury, physiotherapist at Third Space Sports Medicine, tells Strong Women that she sees a lot of hip tendinopathy. “It’s an overuse injury that affects the outer part of the hip, often caused by a sharp increase in volume of intensity of exercise. It’s common in runners and those who do activities such as HIIT or other exercises classes.

“This can be a tricky injury, especially for highly motivated gym-goers, as it requires abstaining from aggravating activities until symptoms settle a bit.”

Treatment

“Initially, I’ll focus on working the deep gluteal muscles by doing straight leg abduction exercises, which entail moving the leg to the side and slightly backwards,” Tilbury explains. “These muscles help to support the hips, especially in single leg activities.” 

Lower back pain

“It tends to be lower back pain caused by poor posture or heavy lifting,” says Tarr. “It can also be caused by a lack of mobility in the glutes and hamstrings, so I suggest anyone suffering with lower back pain that they regularly stretch these areas.

“As well as stretching, an exercise that is really effective in strengthening the lower back is deadlifts.”

Bulged/slipped disks

“Back injuries are incredibly varied. Often pain and injuries can occur because of a lack of movement, but sometimes it’s because of too much movement or poor lifting techniques. Often, those are attributed to a disc bulge or herniation, but not all back injuries are to do with the discs. They can occur to the many structures of the spine, including the bones, ligaments, nerves and muscle tissue, and sometimes we can have pain with no presence of structural compromise at all.

Treatment

“Treatment is dependent on how a person presents and what their current activity levels are. A good place to start is with spinal mobilisations on all fours, with the cat/cow exercise and moving the hips from left to right.”

She says that if someone is very uncomfortable, she gets them to do small movements. “The back often gets quite stiff when it’s injured, so gentle movement throughout the day is the most common advice I give in the early stages of treatment.”

Shoulder impingement 

Tarr says that she sees a lot of clients who struggle to lift their arm up – “even to brush their hair or put on a jacket”. 

“It can also affect their sleep due to constant aching. If you are suffering with this you will need to book an appointment with a therapist to receive treatment.

Treatment

Once pain has started to decrease, Tarr suggests exercises such as high to low rows and external and internal rotation strengthening, all using resistance bands.”

Overuse injuries

Kathryn Tilbury

Tilbury, on the other hand, says most shoulder issues are caused by overuse. “We cluster (these issues) together under the umbrella term of ‘rotator cuff related shoulder pain’. Sometimes this occurs because the rotator muscles are not as strong as they need to be to support our everyday movements.”

Treatment

She says that the focus should be on strengthening the rotator cuff muscles, which work together to help stabilise the shoulder joint when you move your arms.

“An exercise I use frequently for this type of injury comes from physiotherapist Jeremy Lewis’ Shoulder Symptom Modification Procedure:

1. Place a resistance band around the back of both hands
2. Push the band outwards
3. Keep your arms straight to lift them in front of you
4. Now, if you can, push your arms above your head

“This helps to activate the rotator cuff muscles, thus supporting movement and reducing symptoms.”

Tech neck

“The majority of clients who have neck injuries complain of pain when moving the neck, so they struggle to turn their head to look up, down, left, or right,” says Tarr. “But this is usually due to long periods of looking down either at a laptop or smartphone, rather than anything sports-related. This causes the trapezius muscle (traps) to tighten, which is why you will experience pain at the back of the neck.”

Treatment

“To ease neck pain, try neck circles. That’s great if you’re working long periods at a desk as it’ll stop the neck from getting stuck in one position.”

Tilbury says the same thing: “Commonly people come in with neck pain that is attributed to not moving enough throughout the day and sitting at a desk for sustained periods of time.”

Treatment

Try this exercise to activate the deep cervical neck flexors:

1. Start lying on your back with your head resting comfortably
2. Then, very gently tilt the chin down and gently press the head back into the ground
3. This is a very subtle movement, using about 10-15% of what you could maximally do

“It’s the reverse of the position we hold our head and neck in when we work at a computer or watch something on our phones.”

You could also try prone cobra:

1. Start lying on your front with your arms by your side and palms face down
2. Lift the head, shoulders and top of the chest off the ground
3. Now lift your hands and arms, and rotate the palms to face outwards by pulling the shoulders back to open the chest
4. Look straight down to the ground

“This exercise works the neck and upper back muscles together, so you get more bang for your buck.” 

Swelling or inflammation

“If you have swelling or inflammation, it’s a good idea to elevate the limb, ice the area for up to 10 minutes at a time, and take painkillers like ibuprofen,” recommends Tarr. 

Sprains and strains

Tarr says it’s recommended that you rest until the pain has decreased. If the strain is mild, this often takes between a week and 14 days.

Meanwhile, Tilbury says: “For common treatment methods, we use the acronyms PEACE and LOVE. In the early stages of recovery, it is recommended that you protect, elevate, avoid anti-inflammatories (because they are thought to slow down the initial and essential inflammation process), compress, and make sure you are educated on how to manage your condition. 

“In the later stages, it is advised you load as tolerated, practise optimism, do cardio workouts to increase blood flow (known as vascularisation), and follow exercise prescription. I would always recommend doing this under the guidance of a suitable medical professional or therapist.”    

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Images: Getty, Flexology Studio