We Are All an 'N' of 1
Every child is different.
When Pam and I were expecting our second child, Max, we heard this phrase often…. and it turned out to be true :)
This past month we were able to enjoy a restful week at the beach. Watching our sons enjoy the sand, the waves and the sun was entertaining and illuminating.
In interacting with the ocean, the differences in their personalities was on full display. Charlie, our oldest, was cautious and pensive. We counseled him on water safety as well as reassurance we would be there to help him. After weighing pros and cons, with our encouragement, he found the ocean to be fun and enjoyable.
Max, our youngest, experiences life and the beach much differently. He jumps right into to everything. Always on the move and fearless. Our intrepid 15 month old needs us to slow him down. We teach him to when to be cautious and when he would benefit from help. Under our watchful eye, he too had a fun and enjoyable ocean vacation.
What the heck does this have to do with physical therapy?
When in pain, most folks fall into two broad categories- avoid or endure movement. Some have reservations about moving when a body part is in pain (avoid movement) and others keep on running, occasionally, to their determent (endure movement).
With the first group, we spend a lot of time educating on the nature of their issue, exploring safe and appropriate ways to move, and reassuring them movement is the medicine needed to return to their loved activities. In the latter group, we negotiate/collaborate to reduce and modify activities so that they can continue exercise, yet also calm their symptoms to restore their function. In both groups, we meet our clients where they are.
We fashion ourselves as human body consultants. Our role is to understand client’s needs, motivations, stressors as well as their pain and movement capacities. Through the holistic treatment of everyone as an individual, we are able to help our clients facilitate the return to activities they love.
Warmly,