Rehab State of Mind

Ever wondered why sometimes exercises can feel helpful and other days they seem to make you feel worse? Why sometimes an activity is aggravating but other times it seems to help your pain and make you feel better? Of course my knee jerk science-y mind could come up with a laundry list of reasons for that, and it is true that if you’re doing exercises incorrectly you can hurt yourself and you likely won’t find them overly beneficial. But if you feel like somedays it feels good and others it doesn’t, the lack of consistency can get pretty frustrating and a bit mind baffling. I have watched some patients perform their exercises very well in my office, but then they didn’t seem to be benefiting from them as much as I’d hoped. Changing the exercises didn’t seem to be the missing link either. I had also experienced this same phenomenon myself so I decided to pay more attention to what else might be going on that we could tap into to help increase our chances of consistent success.

One day after returning from a walk I felt great - which was not always the case, so I figured I better do some detective work on this. I walked the same route, went the same pace, felt the same at the start and was in the same overall health as I had been on a day that I didn’t feel good after, so what could be different? You may have guessed it if you’ve hung around on the blog long enough, but I’m quite sure it was my thoughts and focus that were different! I realized the whole time I was walking I was thinking about something that I was really passionate about and excited to share. I was also thinking how lucky I was to be able to have such a nice place to walk and a pretty wicked dog to join me. There have been times, I must admit, when I’ve gone for a walk and done the famous ruminating about problems I didn’t know how to solve, rehashing frustrations from the day, replaying someone’s negative comments, been annoyed that I was walking and not running…You name it, we’ve all been there and done that from time to time. Contrast those two walks. Do you think, knowing what you know from previous posts and your experience in the outside world, why one made me feel better and the other didn’t have that magic effect? Do you think it was the walk, or do you think you could entertain the thought that perhaps it was my mindset DURING the walk that was the game changer? One created a lot of “internal stress”. 

Here’s another scenario. Contrast a walk in the mountains or along the ocean with the sun shining, surrounded by nature and amazing scenery, with a walk on a busy street, people bumping into you, horns blaring, sirens screaming. Which walk do you think would make you feel better? This example shows the effect of “external stress” on our nervous system. 

Can you see how these 2 sets of scenarios are actually have pretty similar effects on your nervous system? I think it’s worth considering that perhaps what we’re thinking and where we are doing our exercises or activity are almost as important to consider as the rehab exercises and biomechanics themselves.

I am guilty - and I think most other healthcare providers probably are too, of just prescribing exercises, ensuring the mechanics and the “dose” is correct for the patient, but neglecting to discuss the importance of the state of the mind and the environment (and therefore the state of the nervous system) these exercises happen in. Thinking “these exercises are stupid, what a waste of time, they aren’t going to help me” as you do them - ain’t gonna get you anywhere fast, I can guarantee that! You’ll probably get somewhere, so I’d still prefer doing them to doing nothing, but it’ll be slower and a rougher road. Thinking “This is awesome! I am doing something that’s really helping me, I am going to feel great after, I enjoy moving” etc etc, can do nothing but potentially enhance the benefit and effectiveness of the exercises. Convinced, but just can’t see yourself doing it? That’s ok, you’re not off the hook though - I’ll let you in on a little secret to start you on your way… If you can’t come up with enough positive thoughts and affirmations to get you through your exercises - then at the very least, listen to someone else saying them and follow along! Put that phone and the internet to good use and find a meditation/positive affirmation audio, or even nature sounds that you like to put you in a positive mode. Don’t drown out your body’s messages with pumping super charged music though - you can do that later, perhaps during that dance party you’re supposed to be having in your kitchen later this morning…