Today a patient whom I've been seeing for low back pain told me that she "tweaked" her back when she misstepped while shopping last week. But then she added the following:
"You know, I didn't worry so much about it when I re-injured my back. This time, I knew what to do and was able to calm the pain down with the things you taught me. As a result, it's feeling so much better today."
That was music to my ears!! In my opinion, that's what physical therapy is ALL about. We're here to teach YOU how to take care of YOURSELF. As soon as someone is able to shift the focus of their rehabilitation from one of dependency to one of central control, then true success can be achieved. I consider myself first and foremost a teacher in many ways. Yes, there are certainly passive techniques and interventions that I use to help people with painful dysfunction. But for me, the best part of my job is when people learn to take ownership of their physical well-being.
In a weird way, I'm in the practice of putting myself out of business. So are all health care practitioners. After all, the fewer times that someone "needs" to come see me for my services, the less I get paid. But I'm alright with that, as long as it means my patients are getting better faster, and staying healthy longer. So when I hear a comment like the one above, my day is made, because that's what it's all about.
Learn to take your health into your own hands. It's an incredibly powerful tool that will leave you relying less on medicines and health care practitioners, and more on yourself. After all, who should care more about you than you?
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