{"id":11970,"date":"2026-09-14T06:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T05:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/?p=11970"},"modified":"2026-09-06T11:22:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T10:22:02","slug":"activity-balloons-a-helpful-model-to-understand-and-build-capacity-for-the-musculoskeletal-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/2026\/09\/14\/activity-balloons-a-helpful-model-to-understand-and-build-capacity-for-the-musculoskeletal-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Activity Balloons: A Helpful Model to Understand and Build Capacity for the Musculoskeletal System"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>Author<\/strong>: <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Leslie J Bisson, MD<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Have you ever struggled to explain to a patient how their activities led to an arthritic flare, or how too rapid a change in training caused an overuse injury? In this blog, I outline a model I\u2019ve used to help patients understand how activity capacity, intensity, novelty, frequency and recovery are inter-related and can be used to optimize function, even in the presence of a musculoskeletal impairment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Activity Balloon Experiment<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Do this thought experiment: blow up a balloon and write an activity on it, like \u201crunning.\u201d\u00a0 The air in the balloon represents the capacity for that activity a part of your body (your knee, for example) allows before it sends a message that leads to pain.\u00a0 Each body part will have an unlimited number of these balloons, which vary in size due to prior activity history, the demands of the activity on that body part and any pathologic conditions.\u00a0 When you perform the activity, air flows out of its balloon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If a balloon is emptied and the activity continues, you will feel pain, which is typically delayed by a few hours to 1-2 days.\u00a0 Pain is simply a message that capacity has been exceeded.\u00a0 When you stop doing the activity, a pump (representing recovery) reinflates the balloon.\u00a0 If you regularly do an activity that lets air out, followed by sufficient recovery, the pump gets stronger and gradually expands the balloon, and reinflates it more quickly (Figure 1a).\u00a0 However, if you do an activity too frequently, this effect works in reverse. The pump can\u2019t completely reinflate the balloon after each session and with repeated sessions the balloon gradually empties.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The more intense the activity, the faster air flows out of its balloon (Figure 1b).\u00a0 If you don\u2019t do an activity for a while (generally from a few days to a few weeks) air will slowly leak out of its balloon, eventually returning it to its baseline size.\u00a0 Finally, a musculoskeletal condition like arthritis or tendinopathy (or aging) shrinks balloons and makes them harder to expand.\u00a0 Fortunately, they can still be expanded, albeit more slowly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Injuries shrink balloons but differ from chronic musculoskeletal conditions in that injured body parts generally 1) are painful immediately if any balloons are emptied, and 2) re-expand their balloons over time as healing progresses.\u00a0 However, different activity balloons for an injured body part will re-expand at different rates.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Figure 1a.\u00a0 Expanding an activity balloon.<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-11971\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.57-300x78.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"692\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.57-300x78.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.57-768x199.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.57-1536x398.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.57-640x166.png 640w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.57.png 1676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 692px) 100vw, 692px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can expand a balloon for an activity like walking by regularly deflating and inflating it.\u00a0 The size of the balloon shows the amount of an activity you can do before you get delayed pain.\u00a0 Recovery re-inflates the balloon.\u00a0 You stretch a balloon by gradually increasing the amount of the activity, a little each time, and recovering in between.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Figure 1b.\u00a0 Adding intensity after you\u2019ve expanded a balloon<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-11972\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.42-300x106.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"699\" height=\"247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.42-300x106.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.42-768x271.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.42-1536x542.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.42-640x226.png 640w, https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-06-at-11.14.42.png 2046w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 699px) 100vw, 699px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This shows a walking balloon that has been greatly expanded by gradual increases in the amount of the activity with enough recovery in between.\u00a0 It is now safer to increase the walking intensity (by walking faster, or on sand or an uneven surface, or adding in hills) because it\u2019s harder to empty the balloon even when the air is let out faster.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Activity Balloons in Action<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The balloon model for activity capacity can be used to explain multiple clinical phenomena.\u00a0 For example, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">why are some people with arthritis able to be far more active than others, OR why is there such a disconnect between the amount of arthritis on imaging studies and the amount of functional impairment<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">?\u00a0 Highly functioning people with arthritis have gradually expanded their capacity through the proper relationship between activity and recovery.\u00a0 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why do athletes develop overuse injuries<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">?\u00a0 They have gradually emptied out one or more balloons through an imbalance between activity and recovery.\u00a0 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How can I optimally recover from an injury<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">?\u00a0 Slowly advance your activities and monitor how your body responds during the activity as well as in the days afterwards.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Don\u2019t be discouraged if you feel great during and after some activities, but others still cause symptoms.\u00a0 This just means some balloons are expanding faster.\u00a0 Be patient and allow the others to expand.\u00a0 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why did I suddenly wake up with symptoms<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">?\u00a0 You depleted capacity for the affected body part.\u00a0 Review what you\u2019ve done in the prior hours to 1-2 days that would have emptied a balloon.\u00a0 This is typically something that is new (unexpanded balloon), more (let too much air out), more intense (let air out too quickly), or more frequent (gradually deflated a balloon over time) in comparison to what you\u2019ve been doing recently, or you haven\u2019t been doing the activity regularly lately (and air has leaked out of a previously expanded balloon).\u00a0 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why is it easier to get injured doing high-intensity activity<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">?\u00a0 Because the air is let out so quickly, it\u2019s very easy to completely empty a balloon.\u00a0 Expand the balloon by increasing the volume of activity at lower intensity before increasing the intensity.\u00a0 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why is it better to do a wide variety of activities?<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 It keeps many balloons expanded.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are many ways to expand an activity balloon for a body part with a chronic condition.\u00a0 Here is one example.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Start by determining the size of the balloon<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Perform the desired activity in a relatively small amount at low intensity and monitor the body part for 2 days afterwards.\u00a0 There are three possible outcomes.\u00a0 First, there is no increase in pain.\u00a0 This means the balloon wasn\u2019t emptied. Perform the activity again on day 4 but increase it by 50% or more, again at low intensity, and go through the two-day monitoring process. Second, pain increases somewhat and lasts 2 or fewer days.\u00a0 You\u2019ve determined the approximate size of the balloon.\u00a0 Third, the pain increases substantially or lasts for 3 or more days after the activity.\u00a0 You did too much and emptied the balloon.\u00a0 Wait for the pain to recover and once it\u2019s back to baseline, try the activity again at approximately 50% (or less, depending on how much pain appeared and how long it lasted) of the prior amount.\u00a0 Go through the same two-day monitoring process and adjust\/repeat as needed to determine the balloon size.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once the balloon size is determined, <\/span><b>expand it by gradually increasing the amount of the activity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, monitoring for two days afterwards, and increasing the amount quickly if there is no increase in pain, slowly if pain goes up but disappears by day 3, and decrease the activity if pain goes up substantially or lasts 3 or more days.\u00a0 Once you can regularly do the desired amount of the activity with two recovery days, shorten recovery by one day or increase intensity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I have employed this method with success for patients with arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions.\u00a0 Many of my patients use the model to self-regulate, expand capacity and avoid trips to see me.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Take home message<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I hope this model to incorporate how various activity factors can work together to deplete or expand musculoskeletal capacity helps your patients and athletes.\u00a0 You can use it to show how changes in activity, when thoughtful and intentional, can decrease pain and improve function in those with arthritis or other chronic conditions by expanding capacity.\u00a0 Conversely, you may also employ it to illustrate how recent or long-standing activity changes can cause pain flares or overuse injuries.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">GenAI Statement\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">No GenAI was used in the preparation of this blog.\u00a0<\/span><!--TrendMD v2.4.8--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Author: Leslie J Bisson, MD Have you ever struggled to explain to a patient how their activities led to an arthritic flare, or how too rapid a change in training caused an overuse injury? In this blog, I outline a model I\u2019ve used to help patients understand how activity capacity, intensity, novelty, frequency and recovery [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/2026\/09\/14\/activity-balloons-a-helpful-model-to-understand-and-build-capacity-for-the-musculoskeletal-system\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":464,"featured_media":11972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[16510,16068,16511,1472],"class_list":["post-11970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-capacity","tag-featured","tag-musculoskeletal-condition","tag-recovery"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Activity Balloons: A Helpful Model to Understand and Build Capacity for the Musculoskeletal System - BJSM blog - social media&#039;s leading SEM voice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/?p=11970\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Activity Balloons: A Helpful Model to Understand and Build Capacity for the Musculoskeletal System - BJSM blog - social media&#039;s leading SEM voice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Author: Leslie J Bisson, MD Have you ever struggled to explain to a patient how their activities led to an arthritic flare, or how too rapid a change in training caused an overuse injury? 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