Two Common Questions & Two Common Statements
Two Common Questions & Two Common Statements
Tommy Conway - Chartered Physiotherapist and Director of OneHEALTH
I wanted to write this article this week to give an insight into common questions I get asked on a daily basis and also common statements I hear.
1: Have you seen someone like me before?
Yes I have! What might feel very specific to you is usually general to a clinician like me. After 10 years working in my clinic I have encountered numerous conditions but at this stage what I see is very common patterns and conditions. I had a man last week with back pain, the pain is severe, he has never had it before and he feels there is no way out. He kept asking the question “have you ever seen something like this before?” He wasn’t asking that question because he doubted my experience, he asked it because he fears that this is his life now, he will be stuck like this forever. I guarantee he won’t but the most important thing I had to help him understand is that we have a plan in place and we need to follow it because I have seen it before. The pain is new for him but not for me.
2: The pain was gone for two days but now it is back, does this mean it’s getting worse?
No it is changing and that means it has future potential to change. If you have severe structural damage to a bone, ligament, nerve or disc, the pain never changes; it stays consistent, it stays the same and no change. If you are someone that has pain that changes, some days good and some days bad. Don’t get disheartened, you have potential to get better and you just need someone to guide you along the way.
3: I don't know what causes it, it just comes out of nowhere, no warning sign, one minute I feel fine and then I am in agony and can’t move.
A client of mine made the above statement last week, over the last number of years he is living in fear of this back pain happening. As he says himself there is no pattern, no warning sign, it just happens. As we delved deeper and I asked about positions of discomfort, he explained that he lies always on his right side at night because sometimes, not always, the left side is sore and he doesn’t lie on it. His back spasm is always on the left side, in all the years of this problem occurring he never linked that the inability to lie comfortably on his left side could be linked to his back pain. Our plan is to get him out of pain but also make sure he can sleep on his left side. He now knows that the next time he has pain sleeping on his left side, a back spasm is around the corner. There is always a warning sign, but you might need me to figure it out.
4: I am very fit, I walk everyday!
But...
Can you roll over in bed with speed and ease?
Can you get down on the ground silently and back up silently?
Can you get out of a low seat without using your arms?
Can you crawl like a baby?
Can you sit on your honkers?
Can you reach both arms over your head as far as you can?
Can you turn your head fully when reversing the car?
Can you grab the seatbelt with ease?
Can you get from lying to sitting without having to rock yourself up?
If you say yes to all these questions, you are fit.
If NO to any, you are NOT fit!
If you have any questions, please email me [email protected] or text me on 0858491137
