Traffic Light System - A Simple Way to Know How Much Is Too Much
- Des Kelly
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Des Kelly, Physiotherapist - Move Sports Physiotherapy & Pilates
If you've ever felt a niggle during a run, a workout, or even just walking up the stairs and wondered "should I keep going, or am I making this worse?", you're not alone. It's one of the most common questions we hear in the clinic, and the honest answer is that it's often hard to know in the moment.
The good news is there's a simple tool that can help take the guess work out: The Traffic Light System.
You can think of it just like a set of traffic lights at an intersection.
Green = Go
Amber = Proceed with awareness
Red = Stop
Applied to your body, it becomes a brilliant way to gauge whether your current activity levels are sitting comfortably within what your system can handle, or whether you're asking a little too much of it right now.
When to apply the Traffic Light System?
The underlying principle is that some pain or symptom provocation during activity is acceptable as long as it settles and doesn't progressively worsen. Research into chronic and persistent pain has shown that activity is generally safe to continue within an acceptable symptom range, and that gradual, monitored loading tends to produce better outcomes compared to complete rest or avoidance.
In particular, this framework works really well for tendinopathies (more on that below), but it can also be applied to osteoarthritis of the hip and knee, where guidelines consistently recommend continued exercise and activity rather than rest, and where a modest level of pain during movement is considered safe and even beneficial.
It can guide return to activity after many soft tissue injuries, lower back pain, and general de-conditioning, where the goal is to build tolerance gradually rather than wait for symptoms to disappear entirely.
In each of these settings the same logic holds: green tells us the tissue is comfortably tolerating the load, amber tells us it's being challenged but coping, and red is a signal that the demand currently exceeds what the system can manage and should be eased back.
Why we love it for tendons
The traffic light system really comes into its own with tendon-related pain. If you've been diagnosed with something like Achilles tendinopathy, tibialis posterior issues, proximal hamstring pain, patellar tendinopathy, gluteal tendinopathy (often called GTPS), rotator cuff related pain (RCRP), or tennis and golfer's elbow, this framework is your friend. Tendons love load, but they like it given to them in the right doses, and this system helps you find that sweet spot.
Here's how it works.
Green light - means no symptoms during or after your activity. You're clear to keep going. This is your body telling you it's coping well with what you're asking of it.
Amber light - means symptoms come on during the activity, stay about the same throughout and afterwards, and then settle down again. This isn't a reason to panic or stop completely. Amber is often a perfectly acceptable place to train from, as long as those symptoms are easing off rather than building. Think of it as proceeding with awareness.
Red light - means symptoms come on and get worse during or after the activity. This is your signal to ease back. Red tells us the load is currently a bit much for your system, and pushing through is potentially putting you at risk.
What about arthritis and age-related change?
When it comes to osteoarthritis (OA) or general age-related change, particularly in the hip and knee, we shift the conversation slightly and talk about pain levels instead.
Pain scale from 0 to 10
0 = no pain >> 10 = extreme pain
Green > 0-4/10 - Activity is safe and you're absolutely okay to continue.
Amber > 4-6/10 - Here, the key is to monitor your symptoms as you go. Are they getting better, staying the same, or getting worse? That trend tells you a lot about whether to continue or wind things back.
Red > 7-10/10 - This is the point to stop and rest. The activity is simply too much for your body at the moment, and that's okay. It doesn't mean never, it just means not right now.
Key Takeaway
The beauty of the traffic light system is that it gives you control over your movements, without fear. You have a clear, calm way to interpret what your body is telling you and how to respond sensibly.
Some discomfort is often part of the process, and a bit of amber along the way is rarely something to worry about.
That said, every body is different, and the right level of load for you depends on your specific presentation, history, and goals. If you're ever unsure which light you're sitting at, that's exactly what we're here for.
