• Home
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Staff
    • My Running Story
    • Testimonials
    • Careers
  • What We Treat
    • Running Injuries
    • Sciatica, Back, & Neck Pain
    • Chronic Pain
    • Shoulder/Elbow Pain
    • Hip/Knee Pain
    • Ankle/Foot Pain
    • Balance/Vestibular
  • Specialities
    • Traditional Manual Therapy
    • Non-Traditional Manual Therapy
    • Running Services
    • Correct Toes
    • Kinesio Taping
    • OOV Services
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Free Guides
    • Events
    • Videos
    • Running Portal
  • Patient Info
    • Forms
    • FAQs
    • For Your Doctor
  • Contact Us
  • Reviews
    • Read Reviews
    • Rate Us!
  • COVID-19

The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
For information, call: 847-541-7600
or email: info@themanualtouch.com
  • The Manual Touch Linkedin
  • The Manual Touch YouTube
  • The Manual Touch Instagram
  • The Manual Touch Facebook

The Emotional Piece of Physical Healing

August 4, 2022 By Denise Schwartz Leave a Comment

In June, my son Drew participated in the Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin sprint triathlon.

It was a beautiful, sunny morning in the low 70’s. We arrived very early in the morning at 5:30 am for packet pick up and set up in the transition area. Drew began his race at 7:15 am and finished up just over an hour later, taking 8th place in his age group. Gone are the days of winning 1st place, as now he is in an older, more competitive age group and after taking the past two years off of intensive training, Drew is now back in the swing of things and ready to compete. Look out at the next race!

Para-Athlete Turnout

I have been to many of Drew’s triathlons but this one really stuck out with the amount of para-athletes. A para-athlete is a person with a physical disability such as an amputation, paralysis, blindness or intellectual impairment such as autism.

There were two para-athlete organizations represented at the race supporting their athletes: Dare 2 tri and My Team Triumph. The volunteers assisted and guided their athletes through the triathlon.

The athletes had varying disabilities with varying needs. We saw:

  • Multiple amputees running with the prosthetic blade. Sidenote: I am amazed at this technology as it did not exist when I went to school
  • Disabled athletes being carried into the water (as you don’t need to use your legs to swim) and then being carried out of the water to their wheelchairs or forearm crutches
  • An athlete with one arm
  • Amputees biking with their prosthetic leg
  • Amputees biking without their prosthetic leg
  • Blind athletes with a guide tethered to them in the water and on the run and they rode on a tandem bike
  • Swimmers tethered to a boat with a disabled person in the boat

I couldn’t help but think that any one of these athletes could have been a patient of mine.

Emotional Healing Process

Let me explain:

When I first begin working with a patient through their rehab process, I often use basic psychology skills to encourage and reassure the patient that they will get better. That is, I help them gain confidence that they’ll once again be able to return to an active life. I coach them through the healing process which involves accepting that the outcome may be different — or even better — than they can imagine. But it takes time.

Healing After Surgery

Immediately after an injury or surgery, your body goes through normal healing responses of inflammation, edema (swelling), and pain which limits your mobility. Healing of any tissue in the body will always take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks — or longer. It’s just the way nature is.

I met a man at an event last week who was still recovering from elbow surgery after 6 weeks. He commented that it didn’t make sense to him that, as a healthy young man, he had the same therapy protocol as an older person. As such, he was doing some advanced exercises with his arm that he probably shouldn’t have been doing yet.

After surgery, in addition to tissue healing, it may take a few weeks just to recover from the anesthetic. Scar tissue will form from the surgery and continue to grow if not addressed. Movement as soon as possible after surgery is very important to promote blood flow, balance, respiration, normal blood pressure, and to prevent blood clots and pneumonia.

There may be limitations depending on the injury or surgery, such as a fracture limiting the mobility of that particular joint near the fracture. If someone has had an issue with their leg — whether it be at the hip, knee, or foot — the person may require the assistance of a walker or a cane to promote normal gait, safety and prevent pain when stepping on the involved leg.

Healing Takes An Emotional Toll

All this to say that healing is a process. It takes time and is emotionally challenging for many patients.

Patients often experience a myriad of emotions:

  • Incredulity: “I thought I would be all better by now”
  • Sadness: “I’ll never be able to do what I used to do”
  • Anger: “why aren’t I better already? There must be something else wrong”
  • Victim: “I used to be so buff, now I’m so out of shape”
  • Denial: “I can walk without a walker”
  • Remorse: “maybe I shouldn’t have had that surgery”
  • Fear: “I’m afraid of pain; I’m afraid I’ll never be like I was before” “I’m afraid to move”
  • Disbelief: “But it’s been years since I had surgery, injury, etc. . Why am I still having problems?”
  • Delusional: “I used to be a great tennis player, runner, etc. – why can’t I do what I used to do 20+ years ago?”
  • Comparison: “my neighbor did better than me after knee surgery”
  • Overwhelm: “I’m overwhelmed trying to get back to my old self”
  • Discouraged: “Every time I increase my activity my pain returns”
  • Catastrophizing: “I’ll never be better”

This is because, in addition to the current injury or issue and the emotional responses to it, every patient also has former experiences — medical, psychological, emotional, or trauma — as well as social and family issues that also come into play.

Trust The Process

I see patients anywhere from 1 to 3 times per week and they often talk about their concerns and fears.

A major part of my job is to provide encouragement and education about the healing process, motivation, and — most importantly — just listen to their concerns. More than once I have had a patient accuse me of also being their mental health therapist! 🙂

Even though I can’t predict the future, I know from experience and scientific knowledge what the potential futures of my patients will be. I spend a great deal of time repeating what the healing process is and what their future will and could look like. I remind them that they might even be better than they were before — they just need to trust the process.

While in Wisconsin, I observed the para-athletes enter the water without a leg or an arm or with the complete inability to use their legs, blind, autistic, or some other disability. I couldn’t help but think that these athletes must have gone through a similar emotional roller coaster as all of my patients do. Eventually they must have trusted the healing process by not letting their limitations define them, accepting their new body, and committing to embracing life.

Have you had an experience where you never thought you’d never be able to do the things you used to do? Drop us a note at info@themanualtouch.com — we’d love to hear your story!

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Running

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Health Tips

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
I'm also interested in receiving:

Search Other Blogs

Recent Blog Posts

  • Chronic Pain (a Central Nervous System Disease) and IMT
  • Scar Tissue: What Is It and How It Affects your Body
  • 2022 Reflections | A Letter From Denise

Blog Post Topics

Testimonials

I saw Denise at The Manual Touch recently for sciatic pain, that only the day before I saw Denise kept me from walking; I could only hobble for short distances before I would sit down and collapse. After some tissue work and gentle exercise with Denise, she put Kinesiotape around the affected area. I immediately noticed stability and pain improvement and could walk so much better that I was able to complete shopping trips to 4 stores I had been planning but did not think I could do. To me, the t… Read more
Read More
I was in Florida for vacation and developed an upper respiratory infection. I had annoying coughing and congestion in my chest. This went on for several days, and it was not getting better. It felt like I had a mucous plug stuck in my chest that would not break up. One night I remembered the self-treatment that Denise taught me at The Manual Touch where I had received PT, putting one hand over the afflicted area, and one hand near my abdomen where mucous could drain out. After about 5-10 minutes… Read more
Read More
The best physical therapist I’ve ever experienced is Denise Schwartz in Wheeling at the Manual Touch. I have seen Denise twice for over 6 months to treat 2 bouts of frozen shoulder that occurred 8 years apart. In addition to my shoulder, she has also helped with my back, exercise regimen, and overall health. She is a holistic practitioner expert in PT techniques and knows how to teach her clients how to fit her techniques easily into their lives. She relates with her clients about as well as any… Read more
Read More
As a young elite athlete I was involved in numerous accidents resulting in scar tissue causing loss of flexibility and restrictions as an adult. After each treatment I feel so much less restriction and experience greater range of motion.
Read More
Last winter our daughter Maddie had had several eye and ear infections, and all required topical and oral antibiotics.  These were instigated by a plugged tear duct.  A pediatric ophthalmologist said there was little chance the duct would open up on its own since she was well over a year old, and there was no harm in waiting a little longer before SURGERY. My husband and I did not want our little girl’s eye probed, and we definitely did not want her to have a general anesthetic, so we bro… Read more
Read More
The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return to playing basketball.
Read More
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found your suggestions “to shorten my stride” and “being conscious of not overlapping my steps” to be helpful. Thanks Denise  
Read More
I have been receiving PT therapy for pain and autoimmune disorders for over 18 months at The Manual Touch.  This also affects my kidneys and my lungs and other organs as I swell with fluid that my lymph system doesn’t seem to handle well.  I depend on the regular IMT tissue therapy I receive from Denise to help me function as normally as possible.  This therapy seems to work synergistically with the acupuncture and medication I also receive.  There are no cures for these disorders and as n… Read more
Read More
Excellent, professional assessment and treatment for an older woman who’s had lots of failed therapy. Kind and compassionate and caring! Thanks.
Read More
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic condition which affects the connective tissue throughout my body. As a result of this disorder I deal with ongoing severe acute and chronic pain and a variety of other rare overlapping conditions such as thoracic outl… Read more
Read More

Our Mission


We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
Top 10 physical therapists in Wheeling

A winner of the
2015 Patients' Choice Awards
for
Wheeling Physical Therapist

Verified by Opencare.com

Testimonials

I saw Denise at The Manual Touch recently for sciatic pain, that only the day before I saw Denise kept me from walking; I could only hobble for short distances before I would sit down and collapse. After some tissue work and gentle exercise with Deni… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/m-d-evanston-il
I was in Florida for vacation and developed an upper respiratory infection. I had annoying coughing and congestion in my chest. This went on for several days, and it was not getting better. It felt like I had a mucous plug stuck in my chest that woul… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/a-b-riverwoods
The best physical therapist I’ve ever experienced is Denise Schwartz in Wheeling at the Manual Touch. I have seen Denise twice for over 6 months to treat 2 bouts of frozen shoulder that occurred 8 years apart. In addition to my shoulder, she has also… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/b-h-elmhurst-il
As a young elite athlete I was involved in numerous accidents resulting in scar tissue causing loss of flexibility and restrictions as an adult. After each treatment I feel so much less restriction and experience greater range of motion.
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/s-northbrook-il
Last winter our daughter Maddie had had several eye and ear infections, and all required topical and oral antibiotics.  These were instigated by a plugged tear duct.  A pediatric ophthalmologist said there was little chance the duct would open up o… Read more
The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return… Read more
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found you… Read more
I have been receiving PT therapy for pain and autoimmune disorders for over 18 months at The Manual Touch.  This also affects my kidneys and my lungs and other organs as I swell with fluid that my lymph system doesn’t seem to handle well.  I depe… Read more
Excellent, professional assessment and treatment for an older woman who’s had lots of failed therapy. Kind and compassionate and caring! Thanks.
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlo… Read more
Read More

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE

Copyright © 2023 The Manual Touch, LLC. · 325 n. milwaukee ave. · Ste D. · Wheeling, IL. 60090 · 847-541-7600

The information provided on The Manual Touch Physical Therapy website is for personal and noncommercial use only. The resources and content provided should be used for educational purposes only and not as a substitute for appropriate medical care. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort please seek medical attention.