19/03/2026
If your pain comes back the moment you stop exercising… there's a reason for that
You’ve probably heard this before.
Or maybe you’ve said it yourself:
“I exercise every day and I feel amazing — you should do it too.”
Fair enough.
But let me ask you something.
Are you exercising because it’s making you healthier…
or because your body falls apart if you don’t?
I recently spoke to a young woman.
IT specialist during the day, full-on sports and yoga nerd outside of work. Even a yoga instructor.
You could see how much she loved it. You could see it in her face — the same look people have when they talk about puppies or babies.
(We should all have something like that, to be fair.)
Then she told me this:
She spent 2 weeks in South America.
No proper routine. No regular yoga.
By day 3 » low back pain.
When she got home?
3–4 weeks until she felt normal again.
And she asked:
“Is this actually normal?”
Now before I answer that, quick analogy (don’t worry, I’ll keep it short… I know not everyone shares my passion for them).
Imagine a table with one slightly loose leg.
At first, it’s fine.
You don’t even notice it.
So you adjust how you use it.
And for a while… it works.
Until it doesn’t.
And no — tightening the other three legs won’t fix the loose one.
Your muscles move your bones.
Your joints are where those bones meet.
Simple.
When everything moves well » life is good.
You can train, work, do whatever your partner has been
reminding you to fix in the garage for the last 6 months.
But…
If a joint stops moving properly — even slightly — your body doesn’t panic.
It adapts.
Other joints take over.
Muscles work harder.
Movement patterns change.
And for a while…
it works.
Until it doesn’t.
This is where exercise becomes a bit of a double-edged sword.
Because strong muscles are great.
You need them.
But they can also hide the problem.
They keep everything going.
They support, stabilise, compensate.
So you feel fine.
Until you stop.
Then suddenly:
Pain shows up.
Tension increases.
Your body goes: “Yeah… we’ve been holding this together for a while.”
So let’s go back to the question.
Is it normal to have pain when you stop exercising?
No.
That’s not fitness.
That’s not strength.
That’s compensation, adaptation or working around a problem, call it what you like.
Exercise didn’t solve the problem — it delayed it, becoming apparent.
I’m a Gonstead chiropractor — I work with the spine and nervous
system, especially in cases where pain keeps coming back
despite exercise. Most of the people I see are active, motivated,
and already doing all the “right things”.
If that sounds familiar,
and you want to understand what’s actually going on in your body,
send me a message.
There’s always a reason your pain keeps coming back.
Book your free consultation, and let’s find it — so you’re not stuck managing the same problem over and over again.
📍 Pinhal de Frades, Seixal
📲 WhatsApp: 911 110 886
