when clients won't let themselves heal

[Susan]

i have a client i saw last night who is a cyclist and runner. he has had calf cramping issues for 13 yrs. he decided it's going to be fixed this year or else he will stop racing. the cramping is a compartment synd type of pain. he was check for it a couple years ago, and the test was negative. he is getting massage twice a week by me and another MT. he is also seeing a rolfer who trained with jeff spencer for some other technique. spencer is a DC who worked with lance armstrong. now he is thinking of contacting spencer for a treatment with him. the problem is not electrolytes. he stretches all the time as well as self massage. i've done ART on him, and he does not like it. it's not painful enough for him. :roll: pain only comes when he is on the bike. running is fine. knots are in flex hall, flex digit, and post tib. however they aren't that bad.

here is the kicker...

it's mental. he is going to do a 80 mile ride this morning. i told him good luck and i hope this will help. he said, "oh i'll cramp on the ride." i told him to be positive. he said,"i'm positive i will cramp on the ride." i was shocked. he just sealed his fate. i believe in the power of thought. what you project out into the universe is what you will get. what do you do about people like this? he is wasting his money with that mentality. on the table he said sometimes he feels like shoving a kitchen knife in his calves, then go to the ER and have them really look in there to see what the problem is. :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[ck01]

If you think his pain is mental, You could suggest he read the book, "The Mindbody Prescription" by Dr. John Sarno. (Maybe even buy a copy for your lending library for him to borrow). If he's not interested in the mind-body connection, then try to separate yourself emotionally from his choices. Just give him the massage, and release yourself from the outcome. If you find that's impossible, you may choose to stop seeing him as a client. That's your right, too. We don't have to work with everybody, especially those people who's beliefs/behaviors strongly clash with our own.

 

[Envy Is My God]

i'm asking for advice and venting all at the same time. :

i've only seen him twice, but have known him for years. he is a fairly obsessive guy. i suggested getting the compartment test again. he told me how they did it and he had to run between two offices. it didn't sound very valid IMHO. he rode a bike in one office, then had to rush over to another to office for the blood/pressure test. i've always read about doing the tests back to back.

i don't think he has RLS. he's muscles twitch a lot, but not to where it actually moves the leg. you can just see the twitching on the surface. of course he feels it.

thanks blisss for the book suggestion. i will check it out. i was thinking about lending him my DVD of The Secret.

 

[curious12345]

Can someone fill me in on what is "compartment syndrome" I have never heard of that.

 

[Sun Hwa-Kwon]

Here's a link to a good description of "Compartment Syndrome"
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001224.htm

 

[Pompal 09.]

Just because a person refers to their previous experience does not mean they are creating their own pain. "I'm positive I will cramp on the ride" does not mean he's making it happen; maybe he is, or maybe he's remembering the intense pain of 100 previous times and drawing a reasonable conclusion. People have a positive attitude all the time and still bad things happen. To say that he has "sealed his fate" is, I think, unjust, and to say that he's "wasting his money with that attitude" may in fact be just incorrect. Yes, it MAY be mental. But it also may be just something that has not yet been correctly diagnosed, and it upsets me so much when I see fellow MTs sounding a lot like those doctors who tell fibro/CFS patients that it's all in their heads.

I know you're concerned for your friend. And I don't know him so of course you have more information to go on than I do, and I don't mean to sound disrespectful or mean. I just disagree so strongly with the idea that thought creates all reality, that the energy you "put out" is exactly what will "come back." My experience is that this just is not always true. (Poverty, genocide, and undiagnosed illness are sometimes just bad luck or the result of politics and long-ago actions by others.)

As far as what to do -- I agree about trying to separate yourself a little. His approach to his pain is his own (I know you know this - I don't want to sound patronizing). Maybe you've experienced this too -- when people start saying they want to shove knives/pieces of glass/needles into their flesh to deal with the pain, it has already taken a huge physical and emotional toll. It effing HURTS, and literally makes people a little crazy. Reason can be impossible to hear (maybe he is not even hearing you about the seriousness of compartment syndrome), and talks about attitude -- it seems like a person in this much pain is really vulnerable, and I would tread lightly bringing up something that can so easily be interpreted as "this is your fault." NOT that you would mean that, but it's possible to read it that way. Even telling him to "be positive" -- as a client, I would find that very invasive, to be told how to view a situation. I know that is my own triggering, not your intention, but it can be very frustrating to perceive that you are being told how to feel when what you asked for, professionally, was physical help and support.

I'm sounding like I always think pessimistically! I know that consistent positive thinking has been a lifesaver for many people. But for some people (like me) it has to be used in moderation. When this client said "Oh, I'll cramp on the ride," I would have been much more likely to just ask, "Oh, will you?" and hear what he had to say.

 

[raf viaxogs]

sounds like Myofascial Release would help this guy. Know any John F. Barnes trained therapists by you?


Ami

 

[RainChimp]

hey--just wanted to sympathize with Jillith's experience while putting in a vote of support for Beccy's perspective. In theory I think people may bring stuff on themselves, but it seems like every time I've wondered if someone IS actually bringing on his own pain, I eventually discover (either while working on that client or someone else) the modality or technique I (probably) needed. Jillith you may be right on that he wasn't properly assessed for compartment syndrome, and a second opinion may be needed. It may take a gentle repeated reminder, that may be more persuasive if you also suggest some alternate resources (especially knowledgeable ones who might also give him a gentle push for a second opinion!) I've noticed that when people are in pain and frustrated, they're grumpy in a very distinct way, a way that looks stubborn or resistant but is in fact tortured. Also, if they've had the pain a long time, some of them have probably wondered if they're bringing it on themselves, making them feel responsible for and guilty about something they probably aren't responsible for. I just put up a post about Airrosti in San Antonio--one kind of myofascial that did wonders for a client's 15yo injury--in one session!