Our Bodies are Awesome!!
Our Bodies are Awesome!! How many times have you heard of someone who was told that they would not be able to walk following an injury, only to see them walking? Or really any “you will not be able to do XYZ” story that ends up a fallacy.
As health practitioners we know a lot about the human body. However, we do not know it all. Our experience and training help us to make predictions on recovery and prognosis. Yet the human body can still amaze us.
While certain structures within the body can be injured there is great scope for healing and repair. Just because it is not in original condition does not mean it will not work as well as it originally did. There may have to be a little extra work on your part – for example a painful shoulder with a calcific tendon may require additional strengthening of the other shoulder muscles to take the load off the calcific tendon to allow healing and repair. There may be full recovery of the tendon, or some calcification may remain. The overall outcome though would be a strong shoulder that functions as it did before becoming painful.
Injury isn’t a full stop!
My message here is that an injury or issue isn’t a full stop. If you find yourself with a practitioner focused on what you are not able to do, rather than what you are able to do it may be time to see if there is someone else to assist you along your rehabilitation journey. Don’t get me wrong there are precautions and possibly some activities to avoid in the short term. A skilled practitioner will be able to assist you with preparing your body for returning to your desired activity and letting you know when it is appropriate to progress on. It is great to have goals to reach towards.
In the case highlighted at the start of someone being told that they would not walk again following an injury – you can still aim high. If the goal is something you truly desire let it be known and surround yourself with people to help along the way. Our bodies are amazing and with conscious drive towards a goal who knows what you can achieve.
Written by: Glenda Walters – Physiotherapist and Exercise Physiologist