Soreness and pain can be difficult to distinguish, especially for our younger gymnasts.

However, there are a few things to consider: soreness typically occurs after new conditioning, or after changing volume or surfaces.

For example, moving from a rod floor to a regular floor for tumbling can instill soreness that should improve over 1-2 days. On the other hand, pain is typically due to an injury and worsens over time. The pain may be due to an acute injury like a fall or awkward landing, or it may be chronic. Chronic pain is a little more difficult as the onset may be slow or insidious. Unlike soreness, chronic pain doesn’t go away; it may wax and wane over time but typically doesn’t resolve quickly.