WHAT IS YOUR GOAL: TO BE CURED OR TO BE HEALED?

By Vincent Hanneken, PT/Owner

As we begin a new year, the one common focus for many is to improve or maintain their health. This is more true as we hit certain decades where we begin to feel our health is not as resilient as in the past and so we start to have more attention on some area of our body. As many of you may know, body problems can begin insidiously or slowly and linger indefinitely. 

Body pains and their resultant limitations that begin with a slow onset often have their origins in losing the strength and the control needed to deal with one’s daily demands. The body then has to compensate, which is often where pain and limitation enter the picture. An awareness sets in that we cannot take our bodies for granted like we have in the past and there is a need to invest. The new year is often a time where we decide to face some condition and decide to take action.  There are many ways to invest, we have choices in various medications, injections, massage, chiropractic, and of course, physical therapy. 

As it relates to investment, there was an article in a local paper a while back written by Abraham Verghese, MD entitled “The Difference between Healing and Curing” that poses an interesting perspective. In that article he writes: “Curing looks at the disease (arthritis, sciatica, back pain, or balance problems) a person has; healing looks at the person who has the disease.”  

“Cure combats sickness, where healing fosters wellness.  Cure depends on dispassionate skill; healing depends on compassionate care.  Tests, medication and machines might be able to cure an illness, but without the human component — including touch, active listening, and total attention — the patient will not be healed.”

Healing is often a journey with much to learn and, by design, incorporates the patient’s involvement. In the end the patient feels more in control of their body, more educated and more in relationship with it. A cure intervention may be needed depending on the damage, but ultimately, healing will be what brings the body back into wholeness. A good argument could be made that of all the areas to invest our understanding, having a foundational knowledge of how to help our body keep its key abilities optimal over time is a worthy goal. We only have one body, we have many cars, lawn mowers and computers. Valuing such an understanding can keep our priorities straight.  

In many respects, healing and physical therapy at Full Potential have much in common, as the process is heavily invested with a therapist’s personal 1:1 attention. What could be more in line with healing than on your first day of care, getting a full evaluation where your doctor gets to know you as a person, hears your story about what brought you to physical therapy, listens to how your problem started, what you think is wrong, and what you have tried. Healing begins with communication and your involvement in helping us understand you. You are not just a shoulder, knee, back, or neck, but a person whose life is on hold to some degree because of pain and limitation. 

Your pain or problem is not who you are, and yet, when pain dominates your day and takes over your life, one can start to feel it is now a part of you. 

One moves out of such an overwhelming feeling by having a caregiver who has their full attention not just on your pain, but on you as a person along with your goals and responsibilities. We, at Full Potential PT, have deliberately set up our care model to be able to invest our full attention in you and your recovery.  

When your treatment starts the use of machines, taping, or other equipment may be needed to help calm pain and spasm, however, more important is the hands-on touch, education, and home instruction which will be key to improving your function and getting your “life” back.  Knowledge is power and this can be no truer than for the care of the human body.   

The more you understand, the easier it is for you to see your role in the process.  Physical Therapists are experts at “nudging” the process along in the right direction.  They then become your best coach, guide, and cheerleader.  Many times we must be your confidence until you are feeling whole enough to be confident in yourself and in your physical abilities.

Dr. Verghese says, “…healing leaves behind a sense of accomplishment and empowerment.  From many years in the business, this is so true because you are invested in the journey; your time, effort, will power and financial commitment are key ingredients to bring you back to your full potential.” 

Dr. Verghese goes on to say “…we need to move our health care system closer to the healing system to improve the patient’s life quality, even if we are unable to cure their disease.”  As you make your decisions on how to invest in your goal of better health, keep in mind the important differences between healing and curing. And, I am sure from other experiences where you were part of the difference in the outcome, that at the end of the journey, you felt more empowered and prouder of your accomplishment.

As a validation of this mindset, our success story this month touches on the very idea of healing v. curing. This patient had surgery for his back which was the cure, but the healing began three years later when he finally went through a thorough program of PT at Full Potential. A program where his investment and ours joined to create a great improvement in his quality of life. 

2025 is just getting started, I encourage you to do an inventory of your body’s limitations and pains. When it comes to complex systems, the sooner one handles the problem the better the chance of achieving a satisfactory recovery; delay often encourages more complexity. Remember, healing is about attitude, participation, and believing that you will be better, and that is what Full Potential is about as well. Together we can make good things happen. 

Decide to take action, we have several ways to get started – you can talk to your doctor and get a referral, or if you’re not sure what to do, we have phone and in office consults which can help us see if PT is right for you. Just call us and we will set you up for success.

Call us at 616-537-2864!