Many of you have heard this before – if you can remember the initial phone call before the first appointment, or during your first evaluation. This is our three step process (assuming you’re in some sort of pain).
As Doctors of Physical Therapy, we’re educated and trained on how to determine where the source of your pain is coming from and why. More importantly than this, though, we want YOU to understand how and why this is happening. What is the source of pain, what is the root cause of how it became that way over time, and how can we address it? This is where we make the long term changes.
I want to focus more on number 3 in the process – Establish a Long Term Solution to Your Pain.
As all of you now know, it is near impossible to “cure” back pain (or any other ailment) with 3 simple exercises. Can 3 exercises begin to ease some pain? Absolutely. Will they keep you from ever experiencing back pain again? Unlikely. This is not a long term solution.
The long term solution comes from determining what the root cause is and working to correct this over time. A lot of times, the root cause comes from repetitively moving incorrectly or with major imbalances that over time slowly irritate a body structure (joint, tendon, ligament, etc) until it starts sending your brain pain signals. Think about how long it takes to do 3 exercises for a few sets – maybe 10 minutes? Think about how you spend the rest of your day – moving, sitting, standing, walking. THIS is a majority of your day. This is why we spend so much time being picky about the way you move in the clinic. We’re slowly changing movement patterns, addressing imbalances, strengthening weak areas, etc. This only works if you play the long game and carry this over into your everyday life.
This takes time. A quick fix is usually not a good or sustainable one. Trust the process and be mindful of this.
Move better, feel better, live better. Break the cycle of pain.