You're Not Alone in Physical Therapy

     Just like any other Tuesday morning I wake up, a little later than usual, knowing I don’t have to go into work until 2pm. Pulling the covers away I swing my legs over, proceed to stand, and then it happens. I’m stuck. My name is Joe Hernandez, I am a Physical Therapist, and I have neck pain. 
The irony. Someone who has worked on dozens of necks at this point and can’t even move his own. Pain sears where my neck attaches to the rest of my body. Lights are brighter than usual; I can barely open my eyes as the pressure building behind them makes me feel as if they are about to pop out. What do I do? I quickly begin the exercise I generally prescribe in these instances. Ow. Okay. Ow.

     Wait, that really hurts. Ow. This is what they’ve been feeling? 

     Eventually I manage to get my head turning again but not all the way. I attempt to get through the day as my head feels so heavy, I can barely hold it up, and then it happened. My arm starts to go numb. I was getting worse. I was becoming afraid. 
That knife in the back of the shoulder blade I’ve heard patients describe so many times has now found its way in mine. I continue with my exercises. They weren’t making it worse, but they weren’t making it better. I needed help. 

     Luckily, I was surrounded by a handful of other therapists. Finding time out of his schedule, my colleague offered me help. “How’s your pain?” he asks. I ponder on the pain scale. What even is the difference between a 6 or a 7? How do I even choose? “Like a 6,” I mutter, wondering if that was the right answer. “And your headache?” Wait…how did he know I had a headache? And so, the treatment begun. 
     
     He did the things I usually do with my neck patients. A massage here, a stretch there. I could feel my trust build as I could finally completely rest my head into his hands. The pressure began to gradually increase, taking me to my threshold of pain, but never going past it. A few minutes later, with my head fully extended off the treatment table, he lifts my head up. “Take it for a spin,” he remarks. My pain was gone. 
     
​     Now, almost completely healed as I write this (yes it came back later that day, don’t worry, it’s normal) I can’t help but reflect on what this experience has given me. I now had a personal understanding of what some of my patients are going through. Neck pain isn’t the only thing I treat, and even my neck pain may not be your neck pain, but the best thing from all of this, I knew I was not alone, and neither are you.  

​     Pain is frightening. Having someone move you is uncomfortable. Questioning if you’d ever get back to doing the things you love is depressing. But there is support, and the people here at Spine and Rehab Specialists can provide it. I know this, because I’ve received it. If you’re struggling with neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, or any type of pain, I’d invite you to reach out to us. If you can’t walk very far, your balance isn’t very good, or you just can’t move the way you used to, I’d invite you to reach out to us. If you simply want your pain to be known, and have someone trustworthy offer you support, please, reach out to us. We may not have experienced what you are going through, but we can absolutely make sure that you don’t have to experience it alone. 

     -​Joseph Hernandez, PT, DPT