…and here’s why! Usually a diagnosis phrase or code tells us one thing - where the pain is. And not much else. Some examples: lateral epicondylitis = elbow pain; hip bursitis = hip pain; achilles tendonitis = heel/calf pain; cervical radiculopathy = numbness/tingling down the arm stemming from the neck. Those phrases don’t tell us anything about WHY a person is experiencing those symptoms in the first place, or WHAT we are going to do about it. Every person is different, so even if your symptoms are pretty darn similar to the person next to you in the waiting room, you have different bodies, histories, activities, etc. So, even if your conditions seem pretty much the same on the surface, your recovery processes will likely be different!
During an initial evaluation, the number one question many people ask is “what is this? What is this pain called?”. And we get it - it’s validating to be able to give a name to what we’re feeling (both physically and emotionally)! Or to be able to tell our family or partner or coworkers that “I have _____”, or maybe to do a little Googling about it ;). BUT the more important questions to be asking are “Do you know what could have caused this? What are we going to do about it?”. The answers to those two questions are what is going to lead you down the path to recovery.
We’re keeping this one short and sweet today. In conclusion, focus less on the name of your injury; focus more on WHY it happened in the first place and WHAT you can do to make it better.
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