Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

The origin of this saying goes back to a funny story like this:

A guest checked into an inn one night was warned to be quiet because the guest in the room next to his was a light sleeper. As he undressed for bed, he dropped one shoe, which, sure enough, awakened the other guest. He managed to get the other shoe off in silence, and got into bed. An hour later, he heard a pounding on the wall and a shout: "When are you going to drop the other shoe?"

And so the definition of "waiting for the other shoe to drop" is something to the effect of: waiting for an event to happen that is expected to happen, based on a causal link to another event. In the world of chronic pain, we see this all too often. People have back, neck or some other pain and after a little rest or popping a few ibuprofen (or stronger), the pain simply goes away. Or does it?

In the years of listening to clients describe their pain, there are always warning signs -- shots across the bow so to speak. It may be a tweak in the neck, spasms in the low back, chronically tight hamstrings, declining energy levels, or other aches that tell you that something is going on. Many of these symptoms are often ignored only to show up as debilitating or severe down the road.

In many cases, these "mild" symptoms are the first shoe dropping and it's a waiting game for the second to hit the floor. If the cause of the symptom is not identified, it is only a matter of time before the body uses another means to let you know that it is serious and needs attention.

I've worked with a number of clients who knew something was going on but waited til it became so excruciating that it became a much longer process of getting back to pain free. Don't let this be you. Get ahead of the curve by taking care of your pain now. Living in fear waiting for the other shoe to drop is no way to enjoy freedom of moving about and enjoying activities. Achieve peace of mind by taking action today!

Get some help with your plan of action. You can get started by reading one of Pete Egoscue's books. I recommend "Pain Free" if you have symptoms. You can also get started with the exercises on Egoscue.com or, better yet, call to set up your free consultation and find out what the best path is for your personal condition at 310-450-2549.

To view the rest of the October Newsletter, visit: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs043/1102261740810/archive/1102753457145.html

July Newsletter - Pain Perspectives, Function Fridays & more

Site of the Pain is rarely the Source of the Problem

As you can imagine, we see a wide variety of symptoms here at the Egoscue Method clinic. It takes an Egoscue Method therapist years to learn how to approach the body with the correct perspective. Treating the site of the pain isolated from the rest of the body rarely works as a long-term cure.

In the classic Western model of therapy, many times the symptom dictates the treatment. For example, if you come in with knee or low back pain, diagnostic tests will be done to evaluate the extent of trauma in the area of complaint. Finding out if cartilage, ligament and/or muscle strain or damage is present is the major focus. In many cases, a strain, sprain or trauma is found and treated to repair the damaged area. No damage, no problem... right?

Well, not completely. If (in the cases where the diagnostic tests actually find tissue damage) the area is treated without investigating the CAUSE of the problem, the pain will return in due time. Here are a couple examples:

1. Mary comes into the clinic after being diagnosed with an arthritic hip. After a couple of years of doing exercises to stretch and strengthen the hip, the problem has not resolved. In fact, all of the work in the hip has made the problem worse to the point that she feels pain sitting in the car and getting up from sitting. Coming into Egoscue and being evaluated, the therapist recognizes a pattern of dysfunction that has the shoulders and trunk working instead of the hip, creating imbalance, stress and pain. On the first visit, she is able to decrease the imbalance present through the WHOLE body (versus isolating the hip) and walks smoother, taller and with less pain!
Neck Pain?
2. Joe came in with neck pain after his chiropractor referred him to Egoscue. He spent years taking meds and applying heat to help relieve his neck tension. While he has seen some relief, his doctor recognizes that he can use some exercises to reinforce the chiropractic work. The goals of balancing the hips (the foundation of the spine), realign the spine to the functional S-curve, and bring the head back over the shoulders are shared goals between the chiro and Egoscue therapist as both recognize treating the neck in and by itself will not produce curative effects. The Egoscue e-cises allow Joe to not just feel better temporarily, but correct the imbalances through the body that put the neck out in the first place by tapping into proper functioning of his muscles.

"Effective therapies treat the body as a whole," Pete Egoscue has always said. The Egoscue paradigm of treating the underlying dysfunctions and problems throughout the body will help you solve the problem and cure it versus treating symptoms only to see them return or evolve into multiple issues.

For more from Egoscue Santa Monica's July Newsletter

Phone Number: 310.450.2549
Fax: 310.450.2782
E-Mail: paul@egoscue.com
Website: http://www.egoscue.com/painfree/wla.php
Facebook: Egoscue Santa Monica, Paul Schell



Hi, my name is Paul Schell and I am the owner and director of Egoscue Santa Monica. Egoscue is a method for achieving pain free, optimal health. It’s named after Founder and President Pete Egoscue who developed the method initially as a way to handle his own pain from injuries he sustained in combat as a U.S. Marine Infantry Officer in Vietnam.



Pete underwent surgery and traditional physical therapy, but still found himself in chronic, debilitating pain. This led him to extensive study and research in anatomy and movement patterns of the body. Ultimately, developing this revolutionary method of realigning the body to restore function and eliminate pain.



What I do now with this innovative therapy method is work with individuals to alleviate pain and heal injuries by getting to the source of the problem by treating the body as a whole. I came from a traditional sports medicine & physical therapy background where we would focus on treating the symptom in an effort to alleviate the pain. In just a few days of applying the Egoscue Method, I saw faster, more effective and longer-lasting results than in all my years in traditional therapy. Needless to say, I was hooked. When I started my journey into healthcare, I wanted to be able to help people achieve results that would open the door to a better quality of life. Egoscue has been a way to accomplish this.



Now having treated clients for over 10 years and seeing the remarkable results with a wide variety of individuals with various conditions of chronic pain. I want to spread the word about Egoscue even further. I invite you to join the Pain Free Revolution and become a part of the Egoscue Method.



Here are a few links to help understand more about Egoscue and some of the sources of pain:

http://www.egoscue.com/painfree/wla.php

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs043/1102261740810/archive/1102313809705.html

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs043/1102261740810/archive/1102538516962.html

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs043/1102261740810/archive/1102487346475.html

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs043/1102261740810/archive/1102450209829.html



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