Does A Treatment Have To Be Painful And Invasive To Be Effective?

Sadly, far too many people believe that a treatment has to be painful and invasive to be effective. They have, perhaps, even experienced painful physical therapy to no avail, and because that fails they take strong medication daily.

Nothing seems to work and they live with constant worries about how to return to their best.

But here’s the truth. Their best is still there. It’s simply waiting to be unlocked.

Have you ever woken up one morning and discovered that a certain part of your body is in pain, and it seems to have occurred for no apparent reason? You do not know why and how it happened.

But you do know that this pain is causing you serious discomfort and that it is having a negative impact at work, at home, and every day. It is simply physically and mentally exhausting.

Here is the story of Mr Lim, who came to me with an almost locked-up neck, with very limited mobility and a noticeable tilt to the right. The slightest movement of his neck and shoulders made pain shoot into the base of his skull and right shoulder.

Mr Lim told me that he had woken up three days earlier and felt a sudden tightness, which had increased since. When the pain and immobility had become unbearable, he had consulted a medical specialist and was sent for an MRI scan, to check for possible compressed cervical vertebrae.

Fortunately, the scan was negative and he was given painkillers and referred for physiotherapy.

He was very apprehensive about my treatment method. He was not convinced that my gentle approach would be able to improve his condition, an attitude I often come across, especially with some of my male clients! They tend to believe in “no pain, no gain” treatment.

Instead of trying to convince them of the benefits, I demonstrate a quick-win situation by resetting their body balance with a few simple moves that have a surprisingly positive effect.

After the treatment, I asked Mr Lim to rotate his head from left to right a few times to lock the treatment in with action and confirm the positive changes. Oh dear, we were in for a surprise!

His neck was just as locked and tight as on his arrival, and I could sense his frustration and doubt. He was not pleased, and it took me a great deal of confidence to convince him that within a short time the muscles and fascia would probably unwind and settle, enabling a subtle release of the neck and shoulder.

Before he left, I advised Mr Lim to apply a cool pack for three to five minutes, three times daily, to desensitise the affected neck muscles, and to take prescribed painkillers if needed. We scheduled a second session for the coming Monday.

On this next visit, he came on his own and did not look at all like the man I had bid farewell to only two days before. He walked with deliberate steps, a straight back, his head in a relaxed position, and a big smile on his face. How pleased he was with the outcome.

He had followed my advice to apply the cool pack, and his locked neck had slowly released during the weekend. He’d only had to take his painkillers once on the Friday evening and had even been able to attend a big party on the Saturday night without suffering from severe pain.

From being sceptical, Mr Lim now had full trust in my ability to help him and asked if I would be kind enough to give him a second treatment to boost the healing process. Even though his neck had been released, there was still tension in the neck muscles.

Because of his full neck mobility, we did not schedule a third session. To maintain full mobility and prevent future tightness, we practised some shoulder and neck-stretching exercises, which he would be able to do at home or in the office.

We also discussed ergonomically correct sitting and working positions, and the importance of a suitable pillow for sleeping. It is often our day-to-day bad habits that can have a detrimental effect on our bodies and lead to serious pain issues.

We need to be mindful of these and ensure we are sitting, sleeping and working in ways that will not cause us long-term pain.

And, as Mr Lim found out, there is huge power behind just a small, gentle touch. A successful treatment doesn’t have to be “no pain, no gain”.

There are many different pain-free and non-invasive therapy modalities within the health industry that are very simple and effective, dealing with acute and unresolved pain issues.

In the next few blogs, I will be giving you some true, inspirational stories from my book Pain Free, because I really think that they will bring you closer to understanding the meaning and purpose of what we do.

And I am looking forward to reading your comments.

Do you have a similar story? Please share it with us.