Have you ever gotten a vague response from a healthcare practitioner about why you are having pain?
A common question for physical therapists is “I have this pain/injury/thing…. What exercises should I be doing to help it?"
What a great question! And, my answer: It depends.
In Physical Therapy School, we would ask similar questions and would hear "it depends" in response. It became a running joke for our class that when a professor would answer, she would have a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face, knowing we wanted something more concrete.
We would roll our eyes and sigh… not that phrase again!
I’m afraid many of my family members have had a similar reaction to me when they ask me “what exercises can I do to help my knee pain, my back pain, neck pain etc." With perhaps a similar smile, I respond “It depends.” I promise I don’t leave it there, but let me explain the rationale behind “it depends.”
Each person is different. “It depends” acknowledges the nuances and complexities of individual bodies when we want simple and quick fixes. We like the article that tells us the “10 best ways to keep your house clean” or “the 5 best parenting techniques to create kind kids." We are searching for the "The 3 things guaranteed to fix knee pain forever."
Unfortunately though, life is not that simple. Not that black and white. Medicine and Physical Therapy is an art as much as it is a science.
I have worked with countless people over my career with back pain. For some, it is caused by a lack of stability through their core muscles, others, their hips or upper back is stiff and so they over-use their low back trying to regain movement, causing pain. For some others still, perhaps they had a direct injury to their low back. I could keep going, but I’m sure you understand the point.
If for every person coming in with back pain, I prescribed the same 3 exercises, I might get 1/10 better, 1/15 better? Maybe worse odds?
The idea behind individualized care and quality physical therapy is finding a provider who is able to figure out the reason for your injury or pain. Someone who is willing to tell you “it depends” but not stop there. They investigate, test, and retest.
That is my goal as a physical therapist. I want to help people not find the quick answer, but find the lasting one that works for them.
If you find yourself asking “What exercises can I do to help my ________?” you are asking a great question! Now, find someone who can help evaluate you specifically and get you to a place of moving well again!
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