Body, Brain & Pain: Community Healing with Two Physical Therapists

This month we have Lillian Bailey, MS, LMFT, back again! Check out Episode 25 if you haven’t yet. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist whose practice has a large focus in sex therapy. Lillian is back with a Q and A for all your burning questions. We discuss the complexities of sexuality, pleasure and how your mental health and pain can play a role in orgasms! And Lillian never leaves us empty handed-We came away with a ton of resources to share as well. Another fun conversation with Lillian, take a listen!

References:

• “All about S.E.X.: The Scarleteen Book!” Scarleteen, 18 Apr. 2022, https://www.scarleteen.com/article/read/all_about_s_e_x_the_scarleteen_book.

Join Erin and Michelle as they circle back to the topic of low back pain. In particular, acute episodes or sudden onsets of low back pain. That common phrase “I threw my back out” sounds much worse than what’s actually happening in our bodies during an episode of low back pain. Sometimes these episodes can be kind of like a musculoskeletal cold, they come on a time or two every year, last a few days to a week and then they’re gone. Just like all the things we can do to prevent colds, there are also ways to reduce the duration and frequency episodes of low back pain occur!

References:

- Chou, R., Qaseem, A., Owens, D. K., Shekelle, P., & Guidelines, C. (2011). Clinical Guideline Diagnostic Imaging for Low Back Pain : Advice for High-Value Health Care From the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine, 154 (November 2010), 181–190.

Join Erin and Michelle as they cover another topic contributing to the pain epidemic in our world - osteoarthritis. In this episode, they will talk about the normal age related changes that occur in all of our joints through the passage of time. These are wrinkles on the inside! While it is true that osteoarthritis can cause pain and limited function, there is no correlation between the severity of what is seen on an x-ray and the symptoms a person experiences. A physical therapist won’t be able to change the arthritis, but they can help you develop an exercise and maintenance program to minimize and manage symptoms. Knowing more about pain, what these wrinkles mean, and how to listen to your body are extremely powerful tools to continue aging gracefully!

References:

Join Erin and Michelle as they cover another topic contributing to the pain epidemic in our world - medical imaging. We’ve all likely heard a story of someone having an x-ray or MRI and being told, “you have the spine of a 80 year old” or “this is the worst thing I’ve seen, I can’t believe you’re not in more pain”. This type of language is harmful and can actually impact an individual’s progress and prognosis! Imaging is an important tool in healthcare to prevent and diagnose serious disease or pathology, but it can be overused and used in the wrong situations which can sometimes lead to poorer outcomes for someone. Michelle and Erin want you to be aware of when medical imaging is helpful and when it might not be necessary, so that you can continue to be the best advocate for yourself.

References:

Join Erin and Michelle as they take on the tough subject of low back pain. There are a lot of misconceptions about low back pain and quite frankly the US and world has over-medicalized it and spent a lot of money managing it. 80% of us will have low back pain at some point in our lives, so it’s important to know where you can find the right support and have accurate information. This episode will help dispel common low back pain misconceptions and reduce common fears that often come with an episode of pain.

Remember, pain is multifactorial and can be caused by many things - this is pain neuroscience 101. If you have an episode of low back pain, find your trusted PT and get on an individualized plan early. There is not a one size fits all for the treatment of low back pain. When we understand what persistent pain is, learn how to nudge and stay active we see positive change!

References:

Join Erin and Michelle as they explain how we define health and why it matters. Our current US healthcare system stresses a biomedical model of health, which can miss the boat when it comes to persistent pain and the number of factors outside of our biology that can affect our experience of pain. Alternatively, we have the biopsychosocial model which considers our biology, psychology, and social experiences and how these each can impact our experiences of illnesses and pain. This model is real and evidence aligned.

Today’s episode will validate all the ways our body’s feel discomfort and are influenced by a variety of things: Stress, sleep hygiene, trauma both physically and emotionally, previous injuries not properly rehabbed, social stressors, a pandemic!, etc. The list goes on and on. So be gentle with yourself, and reach out for help when you need it. Oftentimes, our bodies just need a plan and the correct information. This is why we started this podcast.

Join Erin and Michelle as they continue the vulnerable conversation on pelvic health and physical therapy. In this episode, special guest Natalie provides her perspective as someone who has actually worked with Dr. Jenn Joslyn (pelvic health specialist who joined us on our last episode). Natalie opens up about the different ways a physical therapist has helped her, including before she was pregnant, during her pregnancy and after giving birth. We want to be transparent and provide multiple perspectives to continue normalizing this conversation and give you as much information as possible!

Resources: 

Join Erin and Michelle as they talk about everything pelvic floor with Dr. Jenn Joslyn. Dr. Jenn is a dear friend and colleague at Motion in Minnetonka and St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Jenn specializes in treating individuals having pelvic health conditions. Our pelvic floor is another muscle group that helps us with many different functions and is often overlooked. It helps us poop, pee, breathe, have sex, stabilize our body - so many things! And it is just like any other muscle group in our body - it can hold tension. With the prevalence of emotional and physical trauma in the world, we can often have unknown tension here.

Join us to learn more about what this awesome muscle group does, how to find it and not only contract it (it’s not all about the kegel) but also lengthen and relax those muscles, common misconceptions, what pelvic floor physical therapy is, and as always how to be your best advocate. We want to normalize this conversation in our community as it is often an area of our body we don’t talk about or even know exists - so let’s get talking and stay curious about our bodies!

Resources:

- Pelvic floor 101 with Erin and Jenn on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAVoR6bnQoQ/?igshid=1dwssi1yqx73u

Join Erin and Michelle as they kick off a special series of longer episodes that will give you a look into the conversations they are having behind the scenes about pain and our bodies with some of their favorite people. These conversations are happening all of time, and they want you to be a part of them.

Their first guest is Dr. Kayla Conway. Dr. Kayla is one of a handful of pediatric pain physical therapists in the United States and currently a doctor of physical therapy at University of Minnesota Masonic children’s hospital in Minneapolis. She specializes in chronic pain and is caring for some of the sickest kiddos in the world. Dr. Kayla will dive deep into her role as a chronic pain physical therapist, what her team looks like, and best treatment strategies. She explains how restoring resilience in patients and families can be one of the most helpful tools to feeling less pain overall. As Dr. Kayla and Ted Lasso say best, “it’s the lack of hope that kills you”. As PTs we are explaining the science to bring that hope and resilience back to our bodies.

References:

Join Erin and Michelle as they discuss the importance of sleep hygiene. Sleep is not only one of the most important habits to prioritize for our general health and wellness, but sleep also greatly impacts the amount of pain we feel. We always say, “if you’re not sleeping well, you’re not healing well”. Listen to learn why we need to make sleep a daily routine and stick with it.

References

Join Erin and Michelle as they discuss ways to check in with your body and why it is important that we all know how to do this each day and throughout our entire lives. The easiest way to start is pairing it with something you already do. Checking in with your body will help you gain the confidence you need to nudge into symptoms. Just like we brush and floss our teeth each day, let’s start giving the rest of our body this TLC each day with new check in habits.

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Join Erin and Michelle as they explore how exercise and breathing techniques can help us better manage stress. You’ll start hearing some similar themes here, as these are also great strategies to help manage pain. The coolest part about breathing techniques is that you can literally do them anytime, anywhere!

References: 

Join Erin and Michelle as they remind us that any type of movement (especially a type that brings you joy!) has amazing benefits for your body and brain! We will talk about these benefits and how movement can make you healthier and happier. Exercise is a lifelong journey for each of us. It will forever ebb and flow and that is ok, but should always be a part of our lives in some way. Given the stress of the world right now, focus on finding movement that brings you joy. If you haven’t found that movement yet, getting creative and trying new things is the best place to start! Consistency and joy are so important when it comes to the daily practice of exercise.

Join Erin and Michelle as they explain how our nervous system can start to desensitize over time through graded movement and nudging. They will discuss what it means to nudge into pain, how to create pain boundaries (“smart pain”) and why listening to our body’s pain response is important to recalibrate our nervous system over time. Learning how to nudge is also a lifelong habit to learn how to listen to our body’s pain system to help keep us feeling good always!

We will be doing question and answer episodes coming up, so shoot us any questions to discuss in the future or if you need some help with accessing care - bodybrainpain@gmail.com

References:

Join Erin and Michelle for a quick guide on how to access mental health care. They will share recommendations on finding an awesome mental health professional to support you through your emotional and oftentimes physical recovery. Mental health support is so important for every human to have, not just now when things are stressful. Our hope is all people have a trusted mental health therapist and physical therapist for brain and body check ins!

We will be doing question and answer episodes coming up, so shoot us any questions to discuss in the future or if you need some help with accessing care - bodybrainpain@gmail.com

References:

Join Erin and Michelle as they continue to explain why mindset and mantras help everyone's recovery and generally help us feel better each day. Having positive self-talk is important in all aspects of life, but can be quite powerful in the management of persistent pain.

Do you have questions about something you heard or comments for future episode topics? Email us at bodybrainpain@gmail.com! We'd love to hear from you!

References:

Why does it matter how we think about pain? Join Erin and Michelle as they continue their conversation on why it matters how we think about pain, and how our daily thoughts around pain impact how we feel. This episode includes examples Erin and Michelle have seen in the clinic showing how this information dramatically changes people’s pain experiences. Again, staying curious about pain can help us gain more control and actually have less pain overall!

Do you have questions about something you heard or comments for future episode topics? Email us at bodybrainpain@gmail.com! We'd love to hear from you!

References: 

Why does it matter how we think about pain? Join Erin and Michelle as they further explore pain neuroscience, why it matters how we think about pain, and how our daily thoughts around pain impact how we feel. Staying curious about pain can help us gain more control and actually feel better overall!

Questions or comments?? Email Erin and Michelle at bodybrainpain@gmail.com!

References: 

So how exactly does physical therapy fit into the management and understanding of pain? Join Erin and Michelle as they describe some ways a physical therapist can help you manage and understand pain. As we like to say, physical therapy is body knowledge for life!

Questions or comments?? Email Erin and Michelle at bodybrainpain@gmail.com!

References: 

- Louw, Adriaan. Why Do I Hurt?: A Patient Book about the Neuroscience of Pain. Orthopedic Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Products, 2013.

- Louw, A., et al. (2011). “The Effect of Neuroscience Education on Pain, Disability, Anxiety, and Stress in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain”. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 92:2041-56.

What is pain and what are the largest misconceptions people have right away pertaining to pain? Why have we been confused for so long? Join Erin and Michelle as they dive into what pain neuroscience is and how knowing more helps us feel better and have less pain overall.

Questions or comments?? Email Erin and Michelle at bodybrainpain@gmail.com!

References:

- Louw, Adriaan. Why Do I Hurt?: A Patient Book about the Neuroscience of Pain. Orthopedic Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Products, 2013

- Louw, A., et al. (2011). “The Effect of Neuroscience Education on Pain, Disability, Anxiety, and Stress in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain”. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 92:2041-56.