The fitness app told me to run 9 mph with a pulled hamstring, so I ignored it and healed in 3 days

My watch kept screaming zone 5 intervals last Tuesday despite my limp, but when I finally opened the 2018 forum thread someone linked about overtraining, it matched my exact knee pain and now I wonder how many people get hurt because we trust the algorithm over our own bodies, has anyone else had a device push you into something that felt wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

wesley_hart2d ago

The 2018 thread is a good find, but I'd push back on one thing. That old advice about overtraining is still just general info, not a doctor's note. Your knee pain might match exactly, but that could be a coincidence. Pain patterns overlap a lot between different injuries, so matching symptoms online doesn't mean you have the same problem. I've had two different injuries that felt identical at first, and they needed totally different recovery plans. The safest move is to use that thread as a starting point, then still get a real check if it sticks around. Devices are dumb in their own way, but old forum posts have blind spots too. Just take what works and leave the rest.

parkerb751d ago

But is it really a coincidence when the thread matches like 4 or 5 specific things about your knee... swelling pattern, pain when going down stairs, the clicking sound...? I've found that most of those old posts came from people who actually went through months of PT and knew their stuff. Not saying a doctor is useless, but a doc visit costs money and time, and sometimes the forum advice is just more specific than the generic "rest and ice" you get from a quick appointment. Plus, if the thread's advice is working for you after a few days, maybe that's your answer right there...