Welcome to the blogging world of Outright Health
The aim of this series of blogs is to give interesting insights into the fields of pelvic health and musculoskeletal physiotherapy. Along the way, we will be debunking common myths using clinical research and drawing on clinical experience and patient stories. Some of the posts may also take a philosophical look at certain aspects of activity and fitness, and you may find yourself looking through a different lens by the end of the blog. This space is about sharing and conversation. Here at Outright Health, we would love to hear your thoughts on these topics.
The fields of pelvic health and MSK are often deemed as completely separate entities but the human experience of suffering remains the same. The feeling of isolation felt by a women, struggling to venture out due to poor bladder control, is the same isolation felt by a 52 year old man with back pain, who is struggling to return to golf, his only social activity. Injuries from either field can be life limiting or in need of perspective. This isolation can often result in robbing people of the more carefree aspects of life and disempowering them both physically and mentally.
As a student at Edinburgh University, all those years ago, I joined the Officer Training Corps. Several kilometres into a particularly gruelling power walk (TAB), with a rucksack heavier than me, I was at the back, struggling to keep up. Having been ‘gifted’ the leg length of a Shetland pony and the stride length of a hamster, I remember thinking this is impossible to keep up with my 6ft 2 classmates. In front of the entire platoon my Sergeant Major bellowed through the rain ‘it’s up to you how this ends Burge!’ To this day, that statement remains one of the most powerful and empowering statements I have ever heard. It has woven its way throughout my life and has brought me to Founding Outright Health. It was up to me to create this company and become a trusted source of information and support for all of my patients, but it is now up to you as the patient, fundamentally, to initiate your health journey and decide on the impact you will allow your injury or condition to have on you.
Our mission is to make sure you don’t lose sight of you along the treatment journey. I often tell patients who have gone through operations, from knee replacements to post skiing ACL ruptures ‘prepare to see the best and worst of yourself along this journey’ and ‘only you get to decide how much of an impact this injury has on you’. This can be met with a look of slight foreboding and, with a gentle smile, I’ll add ‘shall we do it together’?
Diagnosis is pivotal to creating the optimal treatment plan, to seek positive outcomes, but so is understanding human nature, motivations and emotions of every patient. At Outright Health we make it our business not just to treat you, but to understand you. Writing up clinical notes is a clinical legality, taking time to hear your story is a privilege and one not taken lightly.
Comments