Why Rehab Is Rarely a Straight Line (and How I Guide You Through It)
4 min Read
Most people expect recovery to follow a straight path; get hurt, do some rehab, and feel better every day. But if you’ve ever had an injury, you probably know, that is rarely how it goes. Rehab isn’t linear. There are good days, frustrating plateaus, and sometimes unexpected flare ups.
The good news? This isn’t failure, it's part of the process. And that’s exactly why I’ve designed my approach the way I have.
My Approach to Getting You Out of Pain and Back to Life!
So let’s talk about that….what IS my approach?
First, many of the people who come to see me have had pain for some time and haven’t been able to truly get rid of it! They’ve been to doctors, they have been to physical therapy all with little results.
So the first thing we do when you come in to see me is we chat. I want to know what you have done up until this point, what has worked, what hasn’t, what you are looking for, what your goals are, is there an event that you want to participate in? I want to know ALL the things! We also discuss any previous injuries and such because it can all play into your current situation!
I want you to feel heard and understood before we move forward! This is important because when you do hit that inevitable bump in the road you already know that I understand your situation and trust that I can help you through that point. It also helps reduce anxiety to know someone gets it and is here to help.
This conversation also allows you to feel that your input matters and that you have control in your situation. Yes you are looking for answers but part of my job is helping you to listen to your body to find them!
Trial and Error Is Part of the Rehab Process
During the program planning part of our first session (and in every session after) it may look like I’m just throwing exercises or movements at you. But there is a reason for everything.There is always a bit of trial and error in rehab. All of this is gathering information.
No two people's rehabs look the same even if they have “similar’ pain.
Your back pain may be related to your history of being a gymnast and doing lots of back bending. But someone else sits at a desk all day and only gets 1000 steps a day! Those are completely different starting points. Sure there may be some overlap in exerercises but I’m trying to find what works best for YOU.
So we may try 5-6 different things the first day, but will only ask that you work on 3 of them until our next session. What’s going to give you the best results!
The Movement Assessment: Looking Beyond the Surface
Next we move on to the Movement Assessment. Here I look at many different movements to see how you move and your patterns. This gives me an idea where you may be carrying tightness and/or compensations. It gives me information about what you feel when you move. This is also reference for what feels better for you!
Again as we design your plan, many times there is a dramatic decrease in pain initially many times due to building a better pattern….brain body connection is getting better. This can feel like decreased pain and increased strength.
But this is really just better recruitment of the muscle needed to do the movement.
True strength take minimum of 4-6 weeks of progressive overload to build. Which may also feel like you are at a plateau because things haven’t changed much in a few weeks….that you have noticed. This just means you are transitioning into true strength gains and recovery.
Hands-On Assessment
After assessing your movement, with your permission will do some palpation and passive movement to feel for any restrictions. I also beginning the LTAP which is a group of assessments that allow me to listen to your body do get an idea if there are any protection patterns (I discuss this in the Blog Hierarchy of Protection)
This allows me to figure out where YOUR body wants to start to get the best results. By finding this and starting there, we can get better results quicker! This may look like starting with Eye exercises or breathing on a ball before we move into any “traditional” type rehab.
Redefining What “Progress” Looks Like
Finally we get to doing some movements to find something that will change your pain in that moment. That doesn’t mean it goes away all together. It may be that you came in feeling that your pain was a 6/10 on a pain scale and we get you to a 3 or a 4…That’s HUGE!
You may walk out feeling pain free but it returned by the time you went to bed that night.This is also a win! We know we can get you feeling this way…now we need to work on getting it to last longer. These are ALL wins! But also not linear!
Trusting the Process
Progress doesn’t always move in a straight line, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. My process is built with flexibility, compassion, and clinical reasoning, so we can adjust as your body responds.
Whether you’re working through an injury, returning to sport, or trying to move pain-free again, I’m here to guide you through every twist in the road.
If you have been on this path for a while and want to try something different but completely tailored to you, please book a discovery call so we can discuss how I can help you with your journey! Click below to schedule
Where to find a practitioner who can take you from injury to performance in Redondo Beach and surrounding areas
I work with athletes of all kinds in Southern California’s South Bay Region (Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Torrance, El Segundo, etc.). My clinic space is located in Redondo Beach near Dive n Surf and I’d love to work with you.
My rehab performance sessions will get you out of pain and back to activities!
If you would like help finding YOUR root cause and working through your pain and getting back to performance, click the link below and schedule your FREE discovery call and we will chat about how I can help you and if we are a good fit! Or you can submit a Contact form!