The power of words, and permanent damage....

    I love working with people, and I love helping them recover from injuries and chronic pain. It's actually not that complicated, and my clients are often amazed (and delighted) to experience how easy and effortless it is to heal from pain.

    I recently worked with a young woman who was experiencing persistent neck pain after a car accident. After just a few weeks, her pain dramatically decreased, her cervical range of motion improved, her energy increased and she was able to return to work full time. Even better, she got a spark in her eye, a spring in her step, and her remarkable wit and sense of humor returned. 

    I was stunned when she came back to my office two weeks after we both decided that she didn't need any more help. She was in tears, extremely depressed and in severe pain. Alarmed, I asked her what happened. She told me she had returned  to her physician for a follow up assessment which included more cervical x-rays. Her physician looked at the films, showed them to her, and informed her that she may have permanent damage as a result of the accident. Yikes! Even my neck began to hurt.

    I wanted to scream and pound my head against the wall in frustration, but I figured that wouldn't do either one of us any good. Besides, my own neck was starting to hurt and I knew that would only make it worse. I kept my expression as neutral as possible, and reminded her that she had been pain free for weeks, had regained her strength, range of motion and had returned to all of her functional and recreational activities. She burst into tears and wailed, "But that was before I knew I had permanent damage!" Uh-oh.

    I pointed out that her doctor said that she may have permanent damage; he didn't say that she definitely did have permanent damage. Through her tears she explained that she saw the x-rays herself and they looked "pretty bad". Surprised, I asked her if she had ever seen an x-ray before. She hadn't, but she assured me that it looked awful. Sheesh!

    I know her doctor and I have a great deal of respect for him. However, as a practitioner, I believe that we have to be careful how we choose our words. An unfortunate choice of words can transform you from someone who is healing into someone who has no hope of ever recovering. I know, I've been there myself. A poor choice of words can take away your power and render you helpless. Words matter; they can heal or harm, encourage or destroy, empower or devastate. They can even cause permanent damage. Choose them carefully.


Be healthy!
Cheryl Ilov, PT, GCFP