It’s a Mental Thing

When I was a lot younger, as a therapist, I looked at physical problems as just that – a physical problem. Once I knew the nature of the problem, finding a solution was relatively easy.

Yet…

Even though two people could have nearly identical ailments and even very similar mechanisms of injury and thus the same “problem”, their recovery path and timeline could be wildly different.

Why is that?

Mindset is a main reason. One person might have the mindset of “I just need to make a little progress each day or week and I’ll get there eventually” while the other person gets stuck in the mud of frustration, jumps off the path, tries to force his or her way forward only to find themselves going backwards.

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

I helped a friend a while ago with a shoulder injury. Well, make that plural. He had torn his rotator cuff tendon in each shoulder most likely from a bit too much golf. It was the kind of problem that starts out as an annoyance like a gnat buzzing your face and escalates to “I can’t comb my hair”.

I referred him to Brad Fullerton, MD for an evaluation. I thought my friend would probably be a candidate for Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (a procedure in which your platelets are separated from the plasma in your blood then injected into the problem area) and then he would need a plan to regain his strength and motion.

I asked him to not play golf and to stick to the plan I created. If he did that, he would very likely have a good outcome.

And that’s what he did. As tempting as it was to play golf at times, especially when he felt better, he did a pretty good job of sticking to the plan. Now, I’ve had clients that say “Yes, I’ll stick to the plan” and then promptly abort it. You can’t expect your body to get stronger if you routinely expose it to excessive loads.

And by excessive, I mean a weight or resistance or activity that exceeds your body’s Load Tolerance. Yes, you have to exceed it slightly to get stronger but that happens in a prescribed manner.

Think of it this way. Your arm weighs about 5% of your body weight. Let’s assume my friend weighs 200 pounds. So, each arm weighs 10 pounds and now add the weight of a golf club which on average weighs about .75 pounds.

When my friend swings the club, he’s moving 21.5 pounds of load that his rotator cuff muscles must withstand. Now, my friend is a low-handicap player so he takes fewer strikes per round than I do, like by a lot, but over 9 holes, he’ll swing a club at least 38 or 40 times.

Just for those 9 holes, he’ll experience about 817 pounds of total load (and I’m ignoring the force created by such a long lever as a golf club). If his shoulder becomes symptomatic after just lifting an arm up and down, no extra weight, 10 times, how could he play 9 holes of golf without exacerbating his condition?

I’ve learned to avoid saying ‘never” but the chances of a good outcome when you keep doing too much is extremely low.

Mindset is a set of beliefs that shape how you view yourself and your world. It has a significant influence on your behavior.

If you love playing golf and find that when you can’t play, you’re very stressed, maybe you drink more or become remarkable grumpy, your mindset is that golf is you and you are golf. It’s part of who you see yourself as being. Thus, when it’s removed from your daily life, you feel destabilized and use various ways to cope.

Happens a lot. Substitute “playing golf” with running, working out, cycling, working in your yard – you get the point.

What helps is to not go through such a large shift in mindset all on your own. Having someone to get guidance from, to be an active listener, to help you “see” things that you might not makes a big difference. Professionals can be almost magical but sometimes, even a close friend can help by listening and asking questions which can make you stop, assess, think, and adjust.

So, step number one in all rebuilding / rehab programs is to assess your mindset and adjust it as needed to align with the nature of the problem(s), Load Tolerance, and the plan / timeline. Things will turn out a lot better if you do.

Thanks for reading.

If you like this article, why not share it with a friend? If you’re interested in coaching services, please contact my colleague Laurie Kertz Kelly for a free, 20-minute Strategy Session by, clicking here. To get my Secret Weapon to fight knee, hip & back pain and stiffness, subscribe for free today.

Doug Kelsey has been a physical therapist and human movement expert since 1981. He is formerly Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the author of several books. He has conducted over 250 educational seminars for therapists, trainers, physicians, and the public and has presented lectures at national and international scientific and professional conferences. His professional CV is here.