6 min read.

Before we start, I’m not saying treatments don’t work or aren't helpful, rather I want to make you think about ownership of your own body.

I want to encourage you to make mindful decisions around treatments without accidentally getting stuck following years of bad advice, not making any progress, or costing yourself a fortune on remedies that might feel good, but don’t lead to long term change.
 

For years I have heard people bad-mouth physiotherapists, doctors, chiropractors, coaches, lifting weights, not lifting weights, diets, Zumba, Ryan Reynolds, and pineapple on pizza.

 

We love to disagree and make controversial statements and here’s the problem: with so much information readily at our fingertips, we can now justify any claim we make with the click of a button. But what’s worked great for one person might not work for someone else at all, yet someone can assert unequivocally it’s the best (& only) way to fix an issue.

I feel quite lucky to be that last generation who grew up pre-smartphones. I only had local experts and lots of free time to actually test things and decide for myself if they work or not… without 20 people online making up my mind up for me.

 

An issue that keeps raising its head again and again, be it pain, flexibility, strength, etc, often have a cause that is deep rooted. Something in your past such as an injury, learning poor movement patterns, lack of movement in certain directions, daily habits, etc. might have been overlooked and needs to be addressed.

 

Habits, patterns & compensations build up over years that could take you months of daily effort to change, and the only person who can fix that is you. 

 

Getting a treatment which simply blames 1 muscle without addressing the habits & movements behind it or giving you a massage/adjustment that temporarily fixes your issues is never going to make an actual change.

 

Which leads me into the danger of quick fixes which are seriously becoming an issue.

 

Our lives are getting quicker and quicker, with more and more being offered instantly. Social Media success stories don’t even help. When 6 months of treatment is condensed into a 30 second before & after it seems like change was immediate and so obvious that trusting the process was easy.

 
I say it again and again: if it took you twenty years to get a certain way and you can fix it in a year, that’s pretty spectacular.

 

But no one wants to hear a year.

That’s far too long.

 

The irony is that the time will pass anyway.

 

It’s even less appealing if they have to put effort in themselves, rather than paying someone else to do it.

 
So, instead we seek quick fixes, which will go one of two ways: it works, or it doesn’t.

 

If it does work, chances are you didn’t really have that much of a problem. It was most likely a very recently injury/pain/change that hadn’t had time to make much change to how you move. So, you shouldn’t be shouting from the rooftops that this thing that fixed you will fix everybody.
 

And if it doesn’t work, chances are the issue is deeper, more complex and will require both time and effort to fix from both you and a professional. You shouldn’t be shouting from the rooftops that it’s rubbish and doesn’t work because YOU happened to go to the wrong person for your issue and expected an instant outcome, that in reality YOU need to achieve over time.

 

It’s very modern phenomenon that humans can fix most things with medicine & treatment. So much so that we’ve almost detached ourselves from responsibility. Instead, we assume that simply by having the treatment, by having the surgery, by going to a physiotherapy session, etc., that’s all we ned to do to solve the problem. But in the same way that diabetes is helped by medicine, it is still extremely important they look after their nutrition all of the time, your muscles & joints also require effort outside of the treatment room.

 
  •   For the person who goes to their chiropractor every week, yet won’t do any strengthening exercises, what are you doing?
 

  •   For the person who has an acute pain every time they move a certain way who’s going to every massage therapist and resting all the time, but not getting an MRI scan to find out the cause… what are you doing?

 

  •   For the person who’s getting their chronically tight hamstrings rubbed out twice a week, but won’t do any hip mobility work, what are you doing?

 

  •   For the person who’s gone to the same specialist for 10 years, but has done nothing for themselves until they rely on the specialist completely… what are you doing?

 

  •   For the person who goes to their Doctors with a joint problem and nods, agrees & accepts when they’re told they’re just “getting old” … What are you doing?

 

  •   For the person who’s never done a single upper back or shoulder exercise …. But is getting bits shaved off their shoulder to improve movement… WHAT on earth are you doing!???

 
 

… So now you don’t know what to do, ey? If any of those sounds like you (or even someone you know), read through these simple guidelines to ensure you don’t get stuck following treatment or advice that’s not helpful long term.

 
✅ Get A Second Opinion

What’s the chances the first person you spoke to nailed it on their first assessment? A true professional will not be offended if you go to see someone else (you also don’t need to tell them)

 

 

✅ Get A Third Opinion
What’s the chances the second person did too?! Gather data first from various sources and don’t jump to conclusions too quickly

 

 

✅ Some People Have No Idea How to Help You

Another reason to get multiple opinions is that sometimes a specialist may not know the answer, but it’s very difficult personally & professionally to admit it

 

✅ Don’t Cheap Out

Always go to the best practitioner possible, one who has great feedback, recommendations, and clearly knows their stuff. Thanks to social media you can easily do lots of research of a practice or person. Remember: seeing the right person twice at £80 per session is cheaper than seeing the wrong person eight times for £40 per session.

 

 

✅ Don’t Discount Things You’ve “Already Tried”
Very often we can learn a lot from different people explaining or showing us the same things we’ve already done. Plus, something that didn’t work for us in the past may work for us now.

 

 

✅ Give Daily Effort for An Extended Period of Time
There is a lot you can do at home to work on yourself. Trusting the process is very difficult - many things don’t feel like they’re working until they do, so give yourself at least 2 weeks of daily effort before moving on.

 

 

✅ Learn About Your Body
It’s the most important thing you have.

 

 

✅ Remember That Everything is Changeable
You are never stuck, there is always something you can do, and always people out there to help you.

 

You can throw money at anything to be fixed except yourself. You’re a machine that needs to be taught and nurtured.

 
Taking control of your own body is everything.

 

The people who move the best and understand their body the most rely the least on outside intervention, don’t forget that.

If you’re just getting started with your own mobility journey and would like guidance on what to look for, check out our full body assessment program The Simplistic Mobility Method here!