Hello, everyone! It’s Dr. Chris with Physio Room. I’m here to talk to you about a client we had come in today with some chronic knee pain.
This patient had been experiencing some acute knee pain for 6 months when she walked through our door and was, understandably, very frustrated with her lack of progress over those 6 months. The first question I asked her was why now? Why did it take her so long to get her in here to address this pain? Her answer was not too uncommon. Our client said that she had slowly become depressed – she had always enjoyed skiing, wanted to find enjoyment in cycling again, but was unable to participate in the things she enjoys because the pain always interfered. She was fearful of what all this meant.
This is where the pain snowball tends to begin. She began experiencing symptoms of depression because she simply couldn’t do the things she desired due to the knee pain. Those depressive symptoms then create a state of irritability. Overall she had become very stressed and, above all else, she felt anxious as she didn’t have any idea what this persistent problem meant for her. Her anxiousness and uncertainty centered around whether or not this pain was going to last forever, whether she would just have to give up skiing or quit cycling entirely or, and this is one of the most common anxieties or uncertainties we see in the clinic, would she require major surgery to regain her quality of life?
As her provider, I began her treatment program by first explaining to her that fear is nothing but false expectation, or an appearance that something is real. You think a particular outcome of all this pain is likely, you worry that some particular problem is causing it and you build it up into something you feel very anxious and fearful about. However, when you make the move to come in to see us, we can concretely measure the specifics of your pain, investigate the potential causes of your pain and talk with you about how your pain is interfering with your lifestyle. This often helps to decrease that fear, decrease those feelings of anxiety or depression.
Our client began our knee pain program and remained dedicated to sticking with the treatment plan through the end. By doing this she was able to regain so much of the happiness she had been lacking! Slowly becoming able to participate in the activities she was missing out on due to pain eased all of the fear she had created for herself.
So, if this sounds like you or someone you know, a person who may be on a path to a very negative mind space or beginning to feel depressed or anxious due to pain, PLEASE give Physio Room a call. We can help you sort through your fears and come up with a program that will get you back to skiing and cycling, or whatever it is that you want to do.
Thank you very much and have a good day!
One response
This almost exactly mirrors my experience. Thankfully(I think?) my pain was acute enough that I took action only a few weeks after I could no longer do the things I wanted without significant pain, so my mental state never got to depression levels. It was a very challenging place to be and thanks to the great care I received from you guys, I’m back on the bike and loving it every day!