I had a patient in the other day for a Discovery Session with neck and shoulder blade pain. He was complaining about pain with driving and sitting at the computer for 8 hour days.
When I assessed his posture, I started asking about his lower back and if it was painful, and he said, yeah, that has hurt off and on for years.
And then I asked if he had any shoulder or knee issues based on some compensations with his walking and motion tests. He said, how did you know I had all these “little injuries”, my neck is the only thing hurting now and all I told you about.
I told him that his posture, movement and gait tell me more than his words for the big picture, or looking at the ‘Tree’ as I call it.
See, his experience from the past was going to PT and addressing only the prescribed issue or injury at that time. And that is what I call looking at the ‘leaves’ on the tree, not the ‘tree’.
When I explained that my holistic approach to pain incorporated looking at all the “little injuries” and creating a balance of the entire body, his eyes lit up and he understood that I got him and his needs.
He had been programmed by his doctors and past physical therapist to only report the dominant pain or injury and never more. So when I understood how his back pain was contributing to his neck and shoulder blade pain and how his upper arm positioning in the socket was what was causing his shoulder pain and his pelvic alignment was what was getting the knee and back stirred up, he AGREED and said he tried to explain something similar to his doctor, only to be given the stink eye by the white lab coat.
So after about 20 minutes together in the Free Discovery Session, we had connected and the plan of care could begin, knowing we were both on the same page.
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Check out the image of the skeleton from behind. It shows fascial restrictions of the left upper back and neck, the right trunk and lower back and the left inner thigh resulting in major imbalances throughout.
Here is one more image to consider how the right shoulder and left knee can be connected.