ened to the point wherein only certain movements brought it on. He’d wince, then ignore it until it receded into the background, always expecting it to resolve fully. One day, he mentioned to his men’s group that, though he
had plenty of flexibility, he didn’t have the strength he needed for daily living, not just in the shoulder, but throughout his body. Yoga had brought some strength, but not enough to comfortably handle a chain saw, lift large pieces of wood in preparation for lathe or carving work, rake, mow, and work from a ladder, make home repairs —all necessary or desirable activities. The advice was, of course, go to the gym, build strength.
Took awhile, but he did that. The initial struggle began to show satisfying results —everywhere but in the right shoulder. In fact, the pain there increased, to the point where it interfered with sleep and with general arm movement, causing compensatory changes throughout the upper body that eventually led to other strains. Through the men’s group, he had access to a personal trainer in Canada, with whom he worked over Skype for several sessions, using the local YMCA facility for his regular practice. When he told the trainer about the pain in the upper arm,
the trainer said it sounded like bicipital tendinitis, advised no weight-bearing exercise and taught him some Feldenkrais-style movement to encourage restoration of pain-free range-of-motion. Months of this practice brought no relief. As sleep was more and more affected, Kent considered “Whatever this is isn’t getting any better, no matter what I do. I’ve gotta have help, or watch my ability to live a productive life be shut down.” By now he was 71 years old, having dealt with the problem
for ten years. He had insurance available; he’d exhausted all other avenues. A visit to the family doc led quickly to an ortho- pedic referral, a couple of trial hydrocortisone shots that promised then faded, an MRI and a date for surgery. Findings:
biceps
tendon completely severed, supraspinatus (at the top of the scapula [shoulder blade]) chewed almost in half by spurs on the lower surface of the forward protruding part of the scapula known as the coracoid process. Final procedure:
support the supraspinatus, and allow the bicep tendon to re-attach on the humerus (upper arm bone) below its original insertion, with, perhaps, a 5% reduction in available bicep strength. It occurred to him to be afraid. Each time fear came up, he remembered what he wanted and focused on it — the full use of his arm. The unreality of it — that he would need such an operation — came up more than once. Again, he focused on what he wanted. It helped that the surgeon was the same one who’d re-assembled his wife’s shattered ankle a year ago, that when Kent checked this man’s reputation for shoulder work, he
Are you as happy as you’d like to be? Are you sad, anxious, irritable? We can help!
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336.337.5469
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was told that he is excellent and indefatigable. When the fear of a long, handicapped recovery period arose, he knew it wasn’t an option. There was work to be done — clients to treat, family to support, an associate who depended on him. He was sup- ported through the fear by his men’s group, some of whom had had similar operations, and many that were far more serious than his.
SO, WHAT WORKED? When Julie realized that surgery was the only way, she was
still afraid — a deep, disempowering fear. She didn’t deny it, she embraced it. Said, in effect, “I need help getting through this fear. It’s holding me back in my life.” She consulted several practitio- ners in various fields, making sure she had the best surgeon for the job. Did what he told her to do, which, among other things, was build her body with an abundance of specific vitamins. She got homeopathic help, she received acupuncture, took physical therapy — prepared herself physically and emotionally for the procedure. She began a program of living and expressing gratitude for the surgeon, the surgeon's team, the nurses. She practiced gratitude for the manufacturers of the new parts that would make her joint, for the operating facility, for her rapid recovery, even for the farmers who grew the food she consumed directly and that which comprised the supplements. She was grateful for everyone and everything that played a role in the receipt of her new hip. Long story short, post surgery, Julie need no pain meds at all; no walker or crutches, either. She drove on day 6 and was back at her office on day 7 - full time. When asked to what he attributed Julie’s amazing recovery speed, her surgeon replied. “It was your mental attitude. I’m just the carpenter here. It was your mental attitude that helped do the job.” Kent’s surgeon replied, “You. Your willingness to do the re-
covery work — especially the Relaxercise — your knowledge of your body, your willingness to work through the pain, all of those — they’re what did it.” Acknowledging fear, knowing that the fear is not the truth, that it must be accepted to be released. Acknowledging pain the same way, with no denial, no running away — those were the most important steps. Once those were taken, all the next steps fell into place: diagnosis, preparation, surgery, recovery actions. These are the steps of healing.
Written by Kent McKeithan, McKeithan Pain Treatment Center in Winston-Salem, NC for more information, call 336-761-0501 or visit
www.mckeithanptc.com.
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