By Robert L. Jones, MD

Running is a demanding sport that requires endurance and stamina, and all runners have experienced sore muscles and achy joints at some point. However, it’s important to pay attention to the signals your body is giving you in order to avoid hurting yourself. You don’t want to do damage when you are trying to do good, and there are definitely times when you shouldn’t push through an injury.

Here are four signs that it’s time take a break.

You have a sharp pain that doesn’t go away

Unlike the soreness of well-worked muscles, sharp pain is a signal from your body telling you to stop. There’s a difference between pain and soreness. Sore muscles are to be expected, but if you have a sharp pain, particularly around a shin or foot bone, you should have it checked out. That’s especially true if the pain goes away and then comes back; recurrence shows that it’s not an aberration. It could be a stress fracture, or a tear of a tendon or piece of cartilage, which will just get worse if you don’t rest.

An old injury is acting up

If you’ve been injured in the past, it’s wise to pay particular attention to issues that arise in that area. Runners need to be careful not to re-aggravate old injuries. Pain that flares up around an old injury is a good sign that you shouldn’t push through. Stop your regular routine for a few days and protect your joints by introducing some gentle exercise like yoga or swimming until the pain subsides.

You have pain that starts earlier and earlier into your workout

Soreness in the knee or ankle that comes after the run or workout and goes away the next day means that you can continue without any problems. Pain that moves into the run is a signal that you need to stop. For example, if your knee was sore for half an hour after your run last week, and this week it started being sore during the last mile, this could indicate something significant. It could be an injury that is surgically correctable, and you don’t want to push through something that makes you tear or fracture.

You have a fever

Cold season is here and, although you don’t have to cancel your workout every time you have the sniffles, when it comes to the flu it’s a different story. If all you have is a head cold, you can try exercising and see how you do. If you have a fever, though, that is not a day to try and push through.

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Dr. Robert L. Jones is a sports medicine physician at Carolinas HealthCare System’s Sports Medicine & Injury Care. Sports Medicine & Injury Care offers next-day appointment scheduling. To schedule an appointment, call 704-512-3994 or visit CarolinasHealthCare.org/SportsCare.