With the season of activity upon us, now is the perfect time for a refresher course on “self-screening” your aches and pains. Like our inquirer said in the “Ask a PT” portion of the newsletter, this time of year is often when people become more active after a season of rest. And with that comes more opportunity for injury!
How do you know when your pain is just soreness from getting back into the swing of things, or when it’s something a professional should look at? We’ll share some general tips below.
It may be an injury if:
- You felt a sharp pain, pop, pull, or tweak
- Pain started during a movement
- The pain is very specific or localized
- One side is clearly worse
- You are limping, compensating, or avoiding movement
If any of these are true, ask yourself some follow up questions:
Can I move normally? (Walk, squat, reach, twist, etc.)
→ If the answer is yes, your injury is likely minor.
→ If those movements feel unstable or cause sharp pain, that is more concerning.
Does light movement help or worsen it?
→ If movement helps, it’s usually just soreness or stiffness.
→ If the pain is worse after movement, it’s a possible injury.
Does it feel better or worse after a day?
→ If it feels the same or better, that is a good sign.
→ If it’s noticeably worse, consider going to a doctor.
As a general rule, it’s usually ok to just monitor the situation if the pain is mild and there is no swelling or bruising, and function is mostly intact. If the problem or pain lasts longer than a week or two, continues to come back, or affects your range of motion, it’s a sign to consider physical therapy. If there is major swelling, numbness, significant bruising, instability, or you are unable to bear weight, you should seek medical care sooner.
Don’t let fear keep you from enjoying the summer season. Why? Because it’s too short and Michigan summers are too beautiful to miss being stuck in an injury. Think of it this way, you would not drive cross country without a vehicle checkup, yet we want to drive our bodies harder than usual for 3-4 months without a checkup. Prevention is a ton easier to implement than trying to heal an overuse injury or a strain from an unidentified tightness playing pickleball.
Full Potential can help you regain independence or recover from injury- just call our office to set up an appointment or a consultation, 616-392-2171
There are two words that seem to quietly support most meaningful results when it comes to improving the body and reaching personal goals. They are not flashy words, and they don’t carry much excitement on their own. In fact, most people tend to overlook them entirely. But over time and experience, it becomes clear they sit underneath nearly every successful outcome we see in physical therapy.
What is the one word which has so much application in life when trying to accomplish a goal or changes we would like to make for the better? This word has no glitter or sparkle but leads one to experience such a glow when a goal has been accomplished.
Yes, it wallows in the mud of the daily mundane actions that lead one to where they want to go, like trying to lose 20 pounds or prepare for an upcoming race.
This boring but beautiful word is consistency. Over decades of watching people improve themselves in PT (yes, they improve themselves, we PTs just set the stage for that improvement), the effect of being consistent in the game plan to reach the goal is invaluable.
Best to be the tortoise and follow the slow march to the goal than to be the jack rabbit and dart around in all directions with no true progress. Many of the people we see in PT are dealing with longer standing problems. These are problems that probably deserved earlier attention but life happens and as we often do, we put ourselves last in the hierarchy of needs. Keeping our heads down when we know we have problem areas only digs us deeper into the hole, until we eventually look up and the light of a better future feels quite far away.
There is an old saying that has proven itself over and over to those who buy into the concept of consistency. “The way out is through,” and to follow that with a little rhyme – “this we know to be true.” Confronting a body problem partially rooted in our choices and behavior patterns coupled with a physical limitation requires some real honesty with ourselves. Such honesty usually requires us to knock on our mental toughness door and realize the need to weather the boring days of being consistent to win the day and arrive at the glow of reaching a goal.
There are two other points to hit on beyond the challenge of consistency when it comes to turning effort into results – a game plan, and a coach. Look at the U-M basketball program. Three years ago, their program was in disarray and the coach was fired. Two years later with a new coach, they are national champions. The great coaches create interest and enthusiasm and work off the consistency model to build the fundamentals for success. In the end, those players are more than just the sum of the parts, the coach synergized them into a team of championship potential.
To strategically address a physical problem that is ongoing, a person needs a coach to hold them accountable and steer them down the right but sometimes mundane path of consistency to overcome their deficits. The PT is your coach who builds a custom game plan to help remove the barriers to your progress; you bring your “A” game and together we can achieve great things.
This brings us to another word — one that sits quietly inside each successful patient’s journey and inside the work we do every day. In the middle of this important word is an “us.”
I was thinking about this word the other day while treating a patient, of all places. I was contemplating how amazing it is that I get to spend one to one time for 40 minutes with my patient, often working in close proximity. What is it that is built over those minutes, hours, successive treatments, and even multiple episodes of care? It is one of those words that holds a very high rank in the dictionary, and it is the very foundation of relationships – whether spousal, business, or even spiritual – and it’s certainly a valuable measurement in health care. This high-ranking word is trust.
At Full Potential, trust grows as an evolving process of working together toward a common goal. Together, we weather the steeper slopes of progress to measurable changes and a recovered ability. The therapist/patient relationship is a dream team that is designed to recover a patient’s potential. As many of you who have logged long days over miles of time know, one of the best feelings in life is accomplishing something from your own effort and commitment.
Such an accomplishment is an investment in the most intimate “stock” on the planet – yourself! What a great return it can deliver with the right guidance and personal involvement. In that space between “coach” and “patient” is that word trust. It is a fiduciary relationship by decree and statute but it comes alive in the process of helping someone recover the ability to help themselves.
The word “goal” is a four-letter word that represents so much positivity in one’s life. Whether you’re dreaming of tackling the steps of your front porch or the hike to the top of Sleeping Bear Dunes, at Full Potential, our purpose is to coach you back to living your dreams again— one step at a time.
If you need help with a body problem, check out our website. The success stories and case studies reflect patients who progressed thanks to the two quiet words we’re focusing on today: consistency and trust.
Lastly, I will leave you with a quote, one I wrote myself:
“Reach so you can teach yourself what you are capable of.”
Now, let that first reach be for your phone, dial 616-392-2171 and let’s get goaling!!
