Walk a Mile in My Shoes Wednesday: Physical Therapy

Several months ago, I had an idea for a blog series and then I got busy recapping the adventures of our life and never got around to writing the series! I decided there's no time like the present to start, so here we go!

The idea for the series came to me after I had a conversation with a friend of mine who worked in an occupation I really knew nothing about. As she shared stories with me about the happenings of her day, she kept saying things like, "People don't realize that I can't just..." and "I don't think people get that I really need them to...."

It's true! I had no idea about those things until I heard her stories. And I knew so little about her job that I wouldn't have even known where to begin to try to understand the process from her perspective.

But I wanted to understand. I wanted to know what she wished people knew so that her days and work could run more smoothly.

That's how this idea was born in my mind. If we could take a short walk (say...just a mile) in the shoes of someone whose occupation is unfamiliar to us, what would we learn? Who knows!? It might even benefit us someday if we have to be on the receiving end of those services.

This week I'm starting with my favorite worker: my husband!

For those of you who don't know, Ryan is a PTA, which stands for Physical Therapy Assistant. He spends most of his time working outpatient at a rehab hospital. (He does work inpatient too, but that's usually just on weekends.) The majority of the people he sees are older, and many have had joint replacements or strokes, or are just experiencing pain somewhere in their bodies. He works to help them regain mobility. Sometimes he works with people who may not have had a specific "event," but they just need to strengthen limbs that have weakened.

He loves his job, and he's good at it. He has a great personality for it, because he loves people. He socializes with them well while he works, he's compassionate, and yet at the same time, he's good at pushing them beyond what they perceive they're capable of doing.

 (Ryan with his grandpa last year)

I asked Ryan what three things he wished people knew about his job, and he said:

1. If you have a positive outlook, it will assist you in your recovery and help you stay motivated. 

You've seen those signs at the salon that say, "I'm a beautician, not a magician," right? It's kind of the same thing with therapists. When Ryan's patients come to him for therapy, many have a long road ahead of them. He can't wave his therapy wand and magically fix them in a day - or even a week! And as with any long road, the road to physical recovery can become difficult and discouraging. He understands that! But he has learned in his six years as a PTA that two patients can come in with relatively similar issues, but if one has a positive outlook and the other is a pessimist, he'll soon see a difference in their progress.

Of course patients still have to put in the hard work of therapy, but if they can put in the hard work with a good attitude, they'll help themselves and they'll have more fun! (I don't know if it's this way everywhere, but Ryan and his co-workers know how to have fun at work, and their patients comment on that often! They all laugh and tell stories and have a great time together, drawing their patients into that fun throughout the day. Who doesn't love getting to feel better in a fun environment?)

Obviously no one really wants to spend hours in physical therapy. But what a gift it is that people like Ryan are trained in that field and have the skills to help the hurting feel better. So if you have to go to therapy, walk in that door with a positive attitude, and you'll reap the benefits!


2.  A big part of therapy revolves around educating patients and their families.

If you've never been in a physical therapy gym before, you might not know that it's filled with machines similar to a workout gym. But aside from treadmills, bikes, and weight machines, it also has a number of other things, like steps, balls, and cones. The therapists use the equipment to strengthen their patients, and they also work with them manually to stretch them, help increase their range of motion, and improve balance .

That's the kind of stuff you might expect at therapy. But it doesn't stop there. Believe it or not, you can't actually stay in therapy forever, so therapists want to spend as much time as they can educating their patients on the things they need to know to progress and improve after they return home. Therapy is about regaining your independence, and therapists love seeing their patients achieve that. Not for a pat on the back for the great job they did, but for the good of the patients who leave with a better quality of life they came with.

 So if you have to go to therapy, do the physical exercises they ask of you, but take advantage of the time you have to learn from their wisdom. Drink up the knowledge they offer so when your visits to therapy expire, you are equipped to go home and continue getting even stronger on your own. And if you have questions, ask your therapist. They're actually not mind readers (spoiler alert!) so they might not realize it if you don't understand something the first time.


3. PT actually does NOT mean "physical torture." 

 I think some patients might disagree with this after the first couple of visits, but he promises it's true! Physical therapy is hard. If you're there, it's because something isn't working to its full potential, and in order to make progress toward full potential, some pain will have to be endured. But the therapists actually don't skip to work every day, gleefully anticipating physical torture.

We hate pain because, well, it's pain. And while it does have to be respected and tended to, pain can sometimes be a good thing. It can show that the body is working appropriately and as a patient's function improves over time, the pain will actually decrease. When muscles stretch and strengthen, pain begins to decrease.

Ryan says that patients who set their ultimate sights on recovery rather than pain usually do better. (See point number one! Full circle!)

Sometimes Ryan's patients cry, because it really does hurt. Sometimes they pour sweat like they've just done a hard-core workout. Sometimes they get frustrated. He has compassion toward all those reactions. He knows when to take a break, when to encourage, and when to push.

If you have to get therapy, stop focusing on your pain. It's okay to still feel it, but don't make it your focus. It's not physical torture. The therapist isn't your enemy. Focus on your recovery and let your therapist lead you safely toward that ultimate goal!


(On a side note, I am so proud of Ryan and the work he does in therapy. He cares about every single patient he sees. He gets so excited when they do well and accomplish more than they think they could. He treats them like dear friends and cares for them compassionately. I am so thankful he takes his job seriously and is conscientious about seeing success for his patients!)

(Addendum to the side note: Ryan read this already and he wanted to make sure that this wasn't all about him - a hazard of having a writer wife. What? Life isn't all about him? You don't say! He wanted to give full credit to the team of therapists he works with, because they all work together for the good of the patients. I will heartily say amen to that. I really enjoy his co-workers and it's true! They work hard, passionately, and compassionately too. And they are great friends to him, work aside. It's a great family he has, and that's a blessing we don't take for granted.) 


So there you go! If you ever have to get physical therapy, you have now walked a mile in a therapist's shoes, and you're equipped to make the most of your journey!

Linking up with Tamar!