Patience in practice

Magic wands don’t exist and treatment of musculoskeletal ailments is not turn key. More often than not, it takes time, teamwork and patience. Chronic conditions like plantar fasciitis, chronic low back pain and persistent neck tightness from poor posture may require a long-term investmen and the occasional physical therapy tune-up. Often the underlying cause has been brewing for years ~ the product of 1000s of hours and repetitions moving, standing and sitting the wrong way.

To correct some muscle firing patterns leading to low back pain, the well-recognized Ola Grimbsby institute of physical therapy suggests it may require performing sub-maximal corrective exercises 3 to 5 times day, with each sessions including 3 to 5 sets of 30 receptions (or 1 minute hold). Yes, that’s right, it may take performing the CORRECT muscle firing pattern between 270 to 750 times a day for weeks or even months before creating permanent change.

Not all musculoskeletal ailments take that much time to fix. It is possible to see permanent relief for many acute issues in just a few sessions using skilled manual therapy and NeuFit Neubie electronic stimulation. ⚡️90% of people who try the Neubie electronic stimulation have noticeable pain relief in their first session.⚡️

To eliminate chronic pain and re-occuring injuries permanently, treatment usually requires more than just 30 minutes of therapeutic exercise 5 days a week. Exercises by themselves will not fix the problem unless you also take out the cause. Lifestyle changes may need to be made, including modifying how you sleep, eat, walk, lift and work. These types of changes are much more difficult and time consuming. If the cause of your problem involves an activity you are not able to stop, ongoing therapy may require periodic treatments from a skilled therapist, just like taking your car in for tune-up.

Teamowork and guidance. Where do you start?

Successful therapy for musculoskeletal ailments may sometimes be optimized using more than one treatment strategy. Be careful, however, where you seek out guidance. Although yoga professionals, fitness trainers, nutritionists and massage therapists may all play an important role in your recovery, they may not be the most appropriate resource to start asking for directions. Like seeing your PCP for an unexplained ear ache, a skilled physical therapist should be the first person to consult when dealing with muscle and joint pain. PTs are medically trained to diagnose musculoskeletal problems and the most qualified to determine your MOST effective treatment plan. Doctors may refer you to an ENT for the ear-ache just like PTs might recommend yoga. Whether ear ache or knee pn, your care plan should be determined by the most appropriate and well educated professional.

Remember, a high percentage of musculoskeletal ailments in the outpatient setting are a result of the long term effects of poor posture or innapropriate movement strategies. Passive treatment solutions like massage may be appropriate for pain management but does little to fix the root of most chronic problems. Reducing pain with massage as to allow more successful execution of therapeutic exercise, however, may be just what the doctor ordered.

In a nutshell? Magic wands don’t exist. Successful long term solutions for chronic conditions can take time, teamwork and the right guidance.