4. Injuries & movement¶
What hurts now. Answers here feed the exercise exclusion list, so they need to be specific — "bad back" is not actionable, "left-sided low back pain on flexion, worse in the morning" is.
4.1 Current pain¶
| ID | Question | Type | Options / units | Req. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
inj_current_pain |
Are you currently in pain, or experiencing discomfort anywhere? | Yes/No | — | Yes |
inj_pain_sites |
Where is it? | Multi-select | Neck / Shoulder or arm / Elbow, wrist or hand / Upper back / Low back / Hip or groin / Knee or leg / Ankle or foot / Somewhere else | Cond. |
inj_pain_sites_detail |
For each site: which side, what brings it on, how long it has been there, and whether there is any numbness, tingling or weakness. | Long text | — | Cond. |
inj_pain_sites → if inj_current_pain = Yes
inj_pain_sites_detail → if inj_current_pain = Yes
Don't read the nine options out
Ask "whereabouts?" and map what comes back. People know where they hurt and say so in their own words; the list exists to normalise the answer, not to be recited. It is the one multi-select on the questionnaire that should almost never be voiced — reading nine body parts down a phone invites the client to agree with whichever one they heard last. Only offer the options, grouped and in two passes, if they genuinely cannot place it.
Shoulder or arm and Knee or leg deliberately span a whole limb, because
the answer this section most needs to hear — pain that radiates from the
back into a limb — is not a point on the body. Record the source in
inj_pain_sites and the radiation in inj_pain_sites_detail.
inj_pain_sites_detail is where this section earns its place. "Bad back" does
not change a programme; "left low back, worse on flexion, three months, no
numbness" does. Ask for the side every time — the client will not volunteer it.
It is also the field that carries the neurological detail the red flag below
depends on, so do not let it collapse into one word.
Refer out, don't train through
Pain that wakes the client at night, or pain with numbness, tingling or weakness radiating into a limb, is a referral, not a programming problem. See Screening red flags.
4.2 Red flags¶
Stop and refer immediately:
- Pain with numbness, tingling or weakness spreading into a limb, or any loss
of bladder or bowel control (
inj_pain_sites_detail)
Proceed with caution:
| Flag | Source field | Typical modification |
|---|---|---|
| Arthritis or joint pain | inj_pain_sites |
Low-impact options, avoid end-range loading, longer warm-up |
| Ongoing pain that limits daily activity | inj_pain_sites_detail |
Work around the region, monitor session to session |
Full outcome definitions: Screening red flags. If a stop condition fires here, use the wording in Stop conditions and hand off immediately — do not finish this section first.
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