Rant: That triathlon coach who told me "just run through the pain" nearly wrecked my knee

I was 6 weeks into training, barely running 3 miles. Coach Mike said shin splints were normal, just push harder. Kept going for 2 more weeks until I couldn't walk. Doctor said I had a stress fracture, needed 8 weeks off. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from a "guru" that set them back?

2 comments

2 Comments

zarapalmer5d ago

Right?! I had a similar thing with a CrossFit coach who told me my back pain was just "weak core activation" and to keep doing kettlebell swings. Took another month of hobbling around before an actual doctor told me I had a herniated disc. It's like these people think our bodies are just machines you can override with positive thinking or whatever. So frustrating when the "expert" sets you back way more than if you'd just listened to your own screaming body in the first place.

brianm274d ago

Dude that's awful. I actually just read this article from some sports medicine doctor who said the whole "no pain no gain" thing is basically dangerous advice from the 80s that refuses to die. Apparently there's a big difference between muscle soreness and actual pain signals from bone or joint issues, and coaches mixing them up causes tons of injuries. My buddy's running group has a rule now that if something hurts for more than 3 days you see a professional, not your coach. Really feels like some of these "gurus" have more ego than actual medical knowledge.