If you feel pain during exercise, you should do what?

If you feel pain during exercise, you should stop the exercise.

Pain that begins during a movement can signal an injury or that the body is being pushed beyond a safe limit. Continuing may worsen damage to a muscle, joint, tendon, or ligament. The safest immediate response is to stop, rest, and assess what happened rather than trying to “work through” the pain.

This advice is different from ordinary exertion or mild muscle fatigue. A temporary burning sensation during hard effort and delayed soreness after an unfamiliar workout are not always signs of injury. Sharp, sudden, persistent, or worsening pain is more concerning, especially when accompanied by swelling, weakness, dizziness, chest discomfort, or difficulty breathing.

The popular phrase “no pain, no gain” is therefore misleading as a general safety rule. If pain does not settle with rest, keeps returning, or involves serious symptoms, medical evaluation is appropriate before resuming the activity.