I was perhaps lucky that following my injury I instinctively realised that I needed to keep moving.  At the time I could barely walk and I worked hard at trying to walk further and further each day.  Progress was slow, but nevertheless there was progress!  I am convinced that if I had stayed in my bed, which I very much wanted to do, that I would be in a much worse situation both then and now. 

Throughout my journey with pain I have tried to remain active.   For me there is a balance between the amount and type of exercise I can do, and the pain levels I experience.  That balance isn’t a constant and varies depending on what else is going on in my life, for example stress and work activities.

A couple of years ago I joined a gym, and paid for a personal trainer once a week.  Although I enjoyed that experience, and I am sure gained some physical strength, overall I found it harder to find that balance of pain and activity.  I learnt a great deal from my personal trainer, which I will take forward into the rest of my active life, but I have chosen to go back to being ‘generally active’ rather than using gym equipment.  It works better for me.

As I am not a physiotherapist or an exercise specialist in any way, I will let the people who are explain how best to move and exercise with persistent pain through the links and videos below.