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Therapist as Patient (Football and Therapy, W-0, L-3)
This post isn’t really about football…
How does it feel when the therapist becomes the patient?
I am writing this as the Buffalo Bills are losing (again) with little chance of recovery. And, as I sit at my
computer, I am recovering from a back flare-up. It has been with me for
12 years now, since that horse decided she did not like me on her back.
The flare-ups have been less frequent recently, only once every two
years. It came last Tuesday, out of the blue. The two compression
fractures that occurred long ago make my spine unhappy at times. The
recovery from this episode was pretty quick, I would put myself back to
90% today. Treatment, self treatment, and time usually works.
I occasionally get asked “how I can relate to my patient’s pain if I have not suffered through it myself?”. I
don’t think that it is necessary to suffer all of the maladies of my
patients, but it does shed some light. I am wondering if others feel
this way?
I’ll recover, hopefully with a long interval until the next time. Not sure of the Bills will. How have you done? Has pain given you new insight into the plight of your patients?
Walt Fritz, PT
Views: 49
Comment
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Comment by Walt Fritz, PT on October 5, 2010 at 5:36pm
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There are wonderful modalities there for us, if we just stop to find them.
A week plus later, my back is back to normal. Feels good.
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Comment by Mike Hinkle on October 5, 2010 at 3:21pm
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Hi Walt... had lower back and knee pain from playing some pretty rugged sports throughout my life. Had chronic and acute pain for 23 years. Acupuncture, from a China trained practitioner, and no problems in 7 years.
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Rick,
I like being the last person a person sees. It doesn't always happen, but I get a lot of those folks who have "seen everyone". Good luck next month.
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Marilyn,
It certainly does give me a chance to see of all of those home self-treatment models that I teach to others really work.
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Comment by Marilyn St.John on September 27, 2010 at 10:48am
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Funny, I was recently reflecting on that very notion myself, Walt. What I decided is, whether I know them to be related to my own history or not, those pains are pretty nice to get sometimes...especially since I can play with different methods and have to try several different modalities to find relief. Since I love a challenge and fast relief, eventually I find the one that gives the most (and fastest) relief, then I can go right to that technique the next time I see somebody else on my table with the same symptoms. We probably all do that; so personally, yes, I see my own suffering is the ultimate learning tool ~ not my first choice tho! Even my own age-related maladies are starting to make more sense, but that's a whole 'nother story ;)
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