GUEST BLOG - Strength Training and Chronic Pain:​ What "Just Stay Active" Is Missing

If you're a patient managing joint/chronic pain, you've probably heard some version of "you need to move more." Movement matters enormously, but how you move, and whether you're building any real strength in the process, is what actually changes things long-term. That's the gap I want to talk about.

​Chronic pain has a way of slowly shrinking your life. You protect the thing that hurts, you move less, and over time the muscles that are supposed to support your joints and spine get weaker, which makes the pain worse, which makes you move less. It's a cycle that treating symptoms alone won't break. Research on conditions like low back pain, osteoarthritis, and joint degeneration consistently shows that progressive strength training, meaning building the muscles that actually support vulnerable areas, reduces pain and improves function in ways that rest, adjustments, and medication often can't sustain on their own.

I know this personally. I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was 11, and for years the message was clear: manage it, limit yourself, and if it doesn't get better, look into surgery. I went through the full cycle. Physical therapy, chiropractic care, massage, pain medication. Some of it helped a little, for a little while. But nothing stuck. It wasn't until I started strength training that things actually shifted. Building the muscles supporting my spine, learning how my body moves, and addressing the weakness underneath the pain made a difference that years of other treatments couldn't. That experience is a big part of why I do this work.

If you've been told to exercise but haven't found an approach that actually feels manageable or safe, that's exactly where I can help. I work with people at all levels, especially those dealing with chronic conditions to build strength in a way that's individualized, intentional, and progresses at your pace.

-Bryan Adams
AdamsTrain LLC

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