Meeting Them Where They Are At (Football and Therapy: 0-2)

How many practitioners meet their patients where they are at at this moment?

Week 2 of the NFL season and my team (see Football and Therapy) lost again. I spent the last weekend teaching one of my Foundations in Myofascial Release Seminars. The DVR was set to view the game later, but a few students were tracking cores on their cell phones. No big surprise that the Buffalo
Bills lost again.

Many of my clients come to me with a repeating theme. They will state something like: “My doctor/therapist said that if I lose weight and exercise more, my pain will be better”.
There certainly may be some truth to this prescription, but what does
that do for them at this moment?

I try to meet them at this place, in this moment, and ask what I can do for them right now. Myofascial Release certainly might be one of the things that can help them right
now, but I also ask them what their goals are and how successful they
have been thus far in reaching them. Weight loss seems to be the goal of
the most people, whether pain related or not. How successful have they
been in reaching this goal. For many, it is just a carrot that is held
out in front of them. Lose weight and ……. will change. Many never reach
that carrot, it just remains out of reach.

Once I am able to help someone make changes in this moment, reducing pain or improving function, doors can open to help them reach other goals. Or, they simply may accept who they
are and be fine with that.

I know my Bills may never reach where I want them to reach. I’m OK with that. I’ll still watch.

Walt Fritz, PT

www.MyofascialResource.com