Sue and I started working together just before the Coronavirus pandemic, and our first 2 sessions were at her home.
Her goals were relatively simple — to restore the strength, flexibility and energy she had lost over the years as a full-time professional and mom. Now in her 50s with a high-level management job and two busy ‘tweens, she had not gotten any regular physical activity for at least a decade.
“As I get older, I want to continue to be able to travel, hike, ski and take long walks in cool places,” Sue told me.
But first, the shoulder
Our journey took an unexpected detour early on, when we learned – unbeknownst to Sue – she may have been developing a frozen shoulder.*
These were the first few weeks of virus lockdown, and Sue spent all day at the computer running meetings, under the enormous stress of that time, especially for working parents with children at home.
One shoulder became increasingly stiff and painful, and I encouraged Sue to see her doctor. After a course of anti-inflammatories and physical therapy, her pain level dropped some, but her stiffness remained. A few weeks into physical therapy, an MRI showed low-level rotator cuff irritation and the possibility of “adhesive capsulitis” – the clinical name for frozen shoulder.
Sue felt her PT sessions were not helping. The overwhelmed medical system at that time could only offer brief, fast-moving virtual appointments. Sue was willing to do the needed exercises in between sessions, but didn’t understand how to do them properly.
We built upon her physical therapy with a plan that worked for Sue.
Since Sue was no longer in an acute stage of injury (her inflammation and pain had been managed for several weeks), and we now had information from her medical visits, we could resume our work together.
Rather than delivering a standard formulary of exercises for a common condition – as was happening in physical therapy – we were able to combine my knowledge with Sue’s daily reality, to design a plan that worked for her. The nature of our hour-long sessions – and our collaborative partnership – allowed me to get a true sense of what methods of rehabilitation worked for Sue, her body and her busy life.
Sue learned to use tools at home for self-massage and passive motion of her stiff shoulder, and how to stretch her shoulder throughout the day at her desk. Motivated to feel better, Sue did her stretches and exercises diligently between our sessions, checking in with me each week to make sure she was executing them effectively.
No more pain, quicker than usual.
Within a few weeks, certain daily activities became easier (like getting dressed, which is a punishing chore with a frozen shoulder!) and she was completely out of pain.
A few weeks later, she also gained greater range of motion and strength, and was ready to return to her original, broader goals. At that point, we got back on the broader track we started —this time with a fully functioning shoulder!
*Adhesive capsulitis – or “frozen shoulder” – is a common but poorly understood condition, in which the tissues around the shoulder joint become inflamed, thick and tight, causing pain and limiting motion. It can seem to “come out of nowhere,” usually occuring between the ages of 40 and 65, more often for women than men.
Susan works hard to understand your individual issues and what you want to accomplish. She understands how to work with folks at my age. She brings variety to our sessions and always has her eye on supporting my long-term goals. She explains things well and educates me on how to take care of my own body, including recommending other resources that might help. I’m so much more confident in what to do for myself going forward. And I know Susan is always there as a resource.