We Are Problem Solvers – You’re Our Puzzles
Physical therapists pride themselves on staying fit, and our PT staff is no exception. That’s why I was shocked when, at a recent in-service, we looked more closely at our own limitations. Our colleague, Lori, asked for a subject to demonstrate a technique for opening up the front of the chest, and Russ volunteered by raising his right arm. He raised his arm, and we all raised our eyebrows. Really? Who knew? It was hard to believe that Russ had such a tight right shoulder. He’s super active and very athletic. I don’t know why I was
surprised because we all
have some limitations: for
Scott, it was the front of
his left hip and for me,
ankles. Yes, we all stay
active and fit despite our
limitations, but if we
continue to ignore these
problems, we may come to
a point where they can’t be
ignored anymore.
Every month we have a few hours set aside to teach each other what we’ve learned at a course. We share journal articles, techniques, and treatment philosophies. Last Thursday, Mary, Lori and Jonathan taught us some incredible techniques for releasing restrictions in the
nervous system. They are osteopathic techniques that tap into your body’s inherent rhythms to increase movement throughout the nervous system. It’s a subtle kind of work work that requires a practitioner to have sensitive hands. And, as we learn more such techniques, our sensitivity grows.
Scott and I treated each other
and as he was working, I
felt my nervous system start to
unwind. It reminded me
how lucky I am to work with
such a gifted group of manual
therapists. Two hours flew by,
and we all ended up with more
movement and more relaxed
Lori treating Mary during Inservice
nervous systems. Ahhh. Who needs a Google campus playground?
Learning keeps us growing and engaged so when we check shoulder motion next time, we might have a new way of feeling for restrictions and getting them to melt away. We want all our patients to not only experience the “ahhh” feeling, but to use that newly gained motion in all their activities.
We are so lucky to have an
engaged and interested group
of therapists with a diverse
set of skills and interests, and
we capitalize on this by
sharing patients and making
internal referrals. When your
therapist recommends that
you have another therapist
take a look at you, do it. They
may have a complementary
set of skills that can be the key
to reaching your therapy goals.
Through years of these trainings and treatments, my many aches and pains have mostly gone away. No more sciatica, no more headaches, and no more right sacroiliac joint pain. I have gained a new appreciation for what’s possible. I have given up the old belief system about what a 63 year old should be able to do.
We want that for our patients. And that’s why we are motivated to keep developing new skills and new ways of seeing old problems. So if you plateaued at your last go round of PT, don’t give up. We won’t give up either. A solution is waiting for you.
WE WON! WE WON!
We are so grateful for all your votes of confidence in the Best of CU & Boulder’s 2018 contest. Because of your votes, we were #1 in both Physical Therapy & Pilates.
Our patients are the best!
Thank you!!
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