Change is a Process; We Might as Well Try to Enjoy it.

This happened to me today… twice actually.  Clients come in and say to me that the thing that had been hurting when they came in before is better…a lot better…but there’s this new thing that hurts now in a different way. 

[Hint, they are not super excited about this]

Then I say, “Wonderful! That’s great.” 

[And they give me the look that says, “That’s easy for you to say.”]

And they are right, it is easy for me to say because I know that this phenomenon is a signal that their body has been working hard at changing the pattern that was causing their pain.

Let me give you an example.  Many years ago I first saw a client named Bill.  Bill is a long distance runner who was experiencing low back pain.  Nothing will get a runner’s attention quite like low back pain.  I did my assessments, did some techniques and scheduled him to come back in 2 weeks. 

Two weeks later Bill says to me, “My back is feeling so much better, but now my knee is hurting.”  To which I responded, “Wonderful!  That’s great. Have you ever had problems with that knee before?”  Bill thought about it and then said that he had indeed suffered with knee pain on that knee several years before.

So what is happening here?  It’s basic body physics.  When Bill’s knee began to bother him, he did like many of us, he waited it out to see if it would get better.  And it did get better.  It gradually stopped hurting on its own and Bill kept training for and running marathons.   His body figured out a way to take the pressure of his knee, and it probably accomplished that by shifting the balance in his hips.  It took a while, but eventually that change in the hips became back pain that wouldn’t just go away. 

So when I did my assessment and found Bill’s hips out of alignment and I mobilized those joints to get them in better balance, it worked great and his back felt better. [Yay!]  But as a result, the compensating pattern that Bill’s body put in place to take the pressure off his knee was undone, leaving the knee vulnerable again to the pain from years ago.

Don’t worry; next step was to take care of Bill’s knee.  But what I want to impress upon you is that I celebrate these changes because this is your body’s way of showing me what’s next.  It’s proof positive that the Work is Working! 

The point of all this is that when dealing with chronic pain, the road to recovery often winds through areas of old injury.  We revisit those places in order to support the body in its journey back to balance. Connected Body Therapy takes clients through the process with gentleness, effective techniques, and supportive energy.  It’s a process, so I try to celebrate each step of the way with my clients, even when those steps are sometimes painful.

Want to start your journey toward better today?  Go check out my 15 Minute Pain Free session on the Book Now button.  It's free and takes about half an hour of your time altogether.  It might just change everything!

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