Pain Management and Movement Rehabilitation

Almost 15 years ago I worked in a physical therapy office in Monterey, CA. There were two main orthopedic surgeons who referred their patients to our office. One had a more "old school" approach to physical therapy, meaning that on average he waited 2 weeks before sending his post-surgery patients to physical therapy (PT). The other was more "modern", in that he sent his post-op patients to PT about 2 days after surgery. The difference in recovery time between the two doctor's patients was remarkable. Hands down, I watched the patients who recieved PT right away experience full recovery MONTHS sooner than those who waited multiple weeks before begining intensive movement rehabilitation.

Our society has fostered a genreation of people who spend most of their time sitting still-- in offices, on couches, and at computers. It is all too easy to forget to move enough everyday, and this lack of movement leads to pain and disease.Movement is a key ingredient to great health. When we stop moving, our bones loose desity, our muscles get weak, our qi stops moving, our immune systems cease to function properly, and our overall health declines. Whether we are recovering from surgery, or suffering from chronic illness such as asthma or irritable bowel, appropriate movement such as qi gong or gyrotonic can reverse deep set stagnant patterns in our bodies.

Since working in that PT office, I have deepened my understanding of movement, and added Chinese medicine into my therapeutic tool box. Movement is not just about getting a "workout", but about effectively working the body in a way that is appropriate to each individual. Therepeutic movement is not a one size fits all kind of "workout". Treatments are designed to for each individual's needs in order to benefit every system in the individuals body. It's always a thrill for me when I get to work with a patient who is in pain, and I get the opprtunity to both teach them benificial movement patterns, as well as provide them with healing acupuncture treatments.

For more information about any of the work I do, feel free to contact me anytime.