There was a time when I thought that there was but one reality. It exists as it "is", and we exist within that world and experience it in but one way. Blue is blue, right? Vertical is vertical? Well, maybe I hadn't simplified it quite that much, but I certainly didn't think there was that much difference from person to person. Man oh man, was I wrong on that one! You mean to tell me that there isn't just "one" reality?
Our reality is based on our perceptions. Our perceptual mechanisms are driven by our experiences. We collect the data from our surroundings that we want to collect, and we act on it accordingly. Humans are driven by their past experiences and their perceived competence and self-image (or lack thereof). Two people could be standing in exactly the same place, witnessing the same scenario unfold before them - yet their perceptions could conjure up completely different emotional and physical responses. Even something totally benign could create something utterly diabolical in one person's mind ... and something ecstatic in someone else's mind ... all in the same moment of perception.
A revolution in the world of health ... is needed. And it needs to start ... here ... and now.
Let's face it - as it stands right now, the current system of health care, injury prevention, and health promotion - faces some tremendous problems. From the provider side, if you are providing exemplary care you're no better off than if you provide average or outdated care. You don't get paid any more or less for the quality of your work. From the payor side, we're told that "well care" is covered - but this typically amounts to an annual check-up and not much else (if that). From the patient side - I may not want to partake in any of this because they (the powers that be) either aren't going to pay for it, or the cost is exhorbitant (without health insurance), or they're just going to tell me to rest and take some pills anyways. And from the health promotion side - well, good sound educational programs are hard to find and even harder to have reimbursed by a third party payor.
Sometimes the simplest moments, the simplest words, can have the greatest meaning.
And sometimes - you realize that perhaps your words have more impact than you ever thought possible.
I've always believed in being true to myself - or certainly striving to live to that standard. In the midst of all that, as a person and as a professional, as a friend and as a mentor, I've tried to simply lead by example. To me, it's been about maintaining my integrity, my beliefs ... and expressing them succinctly along the way.
In recent days, I've discovered (or perhaps rediscovered) some aspects of my thought processes that I've not seen since college days. No, that doesn't mean reverting back to the "actions" of college life (not that I'd survive that nowadays anyways!). It means having a firm reawakening of those philosophical (and perhaps modestly idealistic) beliefs that found flight in the collegiate environment. It was a time of creativity, of strong beliefs, of being passionate about those beliefs, and perhaps even espousing them in whatever way possible.
The debate over limitations in human performance has been waged for decades. In the endurance sports world, the commonly-held perception is that the cardiovascular system is the primary limiting factor. The belief expressed by many endurance sports coaches is that maximum VO2 and lactate threshold are the primary culprits - and thus, we need to track and scrutinize the appropriate training parameters - namely, heart rate.
But here are some thoughts to refute those claims - to take our focus away from the past and turn it towards the future.
The month of March has some very important attributes tied to it. March was originally the first month of the Roman Calendar - before the winter months of January and February were added. Those who know me realize that I could do without winter at all ... so I think that March is as good a starting point as any.
We now have Daylight Savings Time beginning in March - and as you all know, I definitely have a strong appreciation for sunshine!
March 14 is Albert Einstein's birthday. Given that Einstein was one of the great thinkers of our time, then I certainly appreciate March even more. March 14 is also Pi Day - a day to celebrate the mathematical constant pi (which, I will have you know, is 3.1415926535 ... without looking at Google. Why do I know that? Read the previous posts!). I am still not quite sure why we'd celebrate pi ... unless, of course, I am a circle, and then it makes sense of my world.
There seems to be a growing aversion to the medical system in recent times. Why are people so hesitant and apprehensive about accessing medical care for anything other than chronic or life-threatening conditions? I certainly see it regularly when interacting with active people. Why is this so?
I am not sure I have that answer completely - but let me propose a few potential reasons.
Just like any other enterprise, there needs to be a value added benefit to going to a clinician for care. The "customer experience" starts from the moment they contact the office. You're on hold waiting for the next customer service representative. A frustrating start, for sure. Let's say you get lucky - and don't have to wait to schedule an appointment. Is the provider of your choice on your insurance plan? Or will this be an (oftentimes exhorbitant and inflated) out-of-pocket expense? Now I have to balance the potential cost-to-benefit ratio of the experience.
Isaac Newton - physicist, mathematician, and arguably the greatest scientist the world has known. If you've taken high school science, you've been exposed to the ways of Newton. And if you look back to yesteryear, and revisit those golden memories of pendulums, bunsen burners, and trajectories, you're sure to unearth a thought or two on Newton's Laws of Motion.
Math and science got me through high school. Though I love the process of writing now, in those days writing was something to be done only because it had to be done. It was about writing book reports, or comparing and contrasting protagonists in Shakespeare's plays. No wonder I didn't enjoy putting pen to paper! Math and science - my bread and butter. My meal ticket - or so I thought. At one time, I was going to become a mechanical engineer ... which evolved into an automotive designer ... which then turned into physical therapist (and yes, there are some common threads throughout - best left to another digression here!). But suffice it to say, I was comfortable with Newton's ideas - back in the day.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".
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