Why do you want to be pain free? If you were totally pain free what would you be doing that you're not doing now? Walking? Doing laundry? Be able to stand long enough to cook dinner without getting a numb leg? Be able to sleep a full night's sleep?
If you are someone living with persistent pain, this is probably the most important question you can ask yourself.
Full disclaimer, when "treating" people who are suffering from chronic pain, our goal is to manage their pain, not to eliminate it. #poweronpain
Asking why allows you to think about what it is you want in life in the first place. Thinking about your "why" also brings your "what" you want into focus. This question can be hard to answer and that's okay, its a great place to start. This allows us to work towards achieving the life you want to live, while minimizing the interference of pain, or shall we say minimize the focus on pain. Before you continue to read, please take the 1 minute and 41 seconds to watch "The Monkey Business Illusion" Video, its one of my favs.
Simply said, "The Monkey Business Illusion" video illustrates that WE WILL SEE WHATEVER WE FOCUS ON. I think this is a really great analogy to how we help manage persistent pain in a nut shell. If everything you CAN'T do (because of your pain) is the team in white, well as a physiotherapist, I help guide you to see the gorilla, the changing curtain colour and the player on the black team leaving the game... essentially everything you CAN do and CAN work towards!
So I ask again, WHY do you want power on your pain? What is it that you want to be able to do in your life? Let's work together to shift the focus and discover your gorilla today!
#MonkeyBusiness is Life <3