Daily Maestroism

DM #205

Wednesday, December 14th, 2016

DM #205: No, I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer, just wanting to present all ends of the treatment spectrum.
It's not always rainbows and butterflies and whatever other stuff Maroon 5 would have you believe it takes for success. My seasoned, experienced therapists will be able to attest to this, so perhaps this DM is targeted mainly at my new grads. Either way, it's an important lesson to learn, and one that I'm grateful to have been taught early on.
Human beings are not machines to be fixed. They are living breathing dynamic systems, and physical therapists simply facilitate change. To that end, if the patient is not on board, they will never get better. The outcome of your intervention is not as simple as how well you do that manipulation, or how good your exercises are. For your patient to get better, they must want to get better.

Now, one of the beautiful things about what we do is that how we deliver our services can have an effect on whether or not someone wants to get better. But at the end of the day it is their belief system, their predisposition, their final decision that matters most.
Absolutely give your best effort, but remember that you cannot care more than your patients, and they must want to get better. Your own well-being and mental health is just as important as theirs. Be kind and compassionate, but be smart. Make peace with what you cannot change and know that you have not “failed.” Not everyone wants to get better. And that's ok.
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