She went to eight different doctors and nobody could tell her what the cause of her back pain was. Why? Because a little (super important) thing called fascia doesn’t show up on regular scans, tests and MRI’s.
When eight different doctors, including internists, orthopedists and spine specialists tell you nothing’s wrong and send you away with prescriptions for pain killers, muscle relaxers and physical therapy, you might be a little frustrated. That’s exactly what happened to my client; I’ll call her Mary.
There’s a big problem with how doctors evaluate and treat pain; they don’t take into consideration the profound effect of the myofascial system on your body. If it doesn’t show up on an MRI, like in Mary’s case, it doesn’t exist. And usually you’ll get some kind of generic label like Myofascial Pain Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, or Lumbago (back pain) to make you feel better. But the label never makes you feel better because the problem with those labels is the doctors don’t know how to help you, aside from prescribing drugs, unnecessary procedures, injections and surgeries.
Before Mary landed in my physical therapy office she had seen eight different doctors, including specialists. The last one she saw sent her to me, not because I was a physical therapist, but because he knew I was a physical therapist who practiced a holistic form of treatment called Myofascial Release.
I have to hand it to Mary for not giving up before then. I might have, after the time, money and stress it took to get where she was. The great thing about Mary is that she never took the doctor’s word for it, and kept searching for more holistic and non-invasive alternatives. She was a very active, and motivated person, and wasn’t going to settle for being told this was all in her head, or that there wasn’t a good solution.
The day I saw Mary I could read the skepticism on her face. But I quickly began evaluating her body in a way nobody had before, and I felt her relax. My eyes and hands began scanning her system for restrictions and asymmetries, and soon we had a few really good leads toward figuring out her problem. When one gentle corrective technique gave her relief I could tell she was excited.
The problem with traditional forms of evaluation is they rarely include the myofascial system. And if you’re lucky enough to have a doctor actually touch you during your exam, it usually lasts about two seconds and isn’t the thorough touch required to find the alignment issues and restrictions causing the problem.
Because fascial restrictions (the places in the connective tissue that get dehydrated, stuck, tight and painful) don’t show up on regular tests many people are told by their doctor that nothing’s wrong. They’re sent away with pain killers and muscle relaxers which end up being a very temporary solution. The doctors rarely have time to properly palpate and evaluate the body for the tightness, restrictions and asymmetries that can cause big problems.
And even when doctors prescribe physical therapy, those practitioners may not have been trained in the evaluation and treatment of the myofascial system, which at this point, you should demand, because if they’re missing this crucial piece, they’re going to miss the cause of your issue.
The biggest thing I want you to know today is you don’t have to lose hope. There are gentle, effective, holistic techniques and solutions to your pain. If you’re afraid of having to take unnecessary drugs or succumb to unnecessary procedures, or you’re terrified of slowly losing your mobility and independence due to pain, you’re in luck – there’s a better way.
I’ve created a great free guide for you all:
5 Powerful Secrets to Healing Faster and Preventing Sports Injuries and you can download it today and get started on a path to healing you didn’t know was possible.
Here’s the link:
5 Powerful Secrets Guide
In the meantime, join me in the comments with your most frustrating experience with getting answers to your pain. Help others know they aren’t alone in their quest for more comprehensive, holistic, and compassionate healthcare.
What if there are things you haven’t learned yet that could change everything?
