Physiotherapy is a common part of the physical healing process of your injury or medical procedure. Although the benefits of practicing your physiotherapy exercises are clear, it is not always easy to keep doing them. One reason for struggling to do your physio may be related to the mental effects of medical trauma.
In 23 years of being ordered to do physio, I have maybe only stuck to it a number of times, and even then, only for a few months at a time. I know that it is good for me. I know that it would relieve much of my pain, and my future self would be grateful. However, I still struggle to keep the routine.
This has caused tension in the past, with both my support network and physiotherapists. Why do I find it so difficult? I know the exercises themselves are not difficult or arduous, so what is the mental block?
The connection between mental and physical barriers
This has definitely rung true for me. Over the years, I have struggled the most with attending physiotherapy appointments and keeping up with the exercises when I am struggling mentally. The pressure of having to keep up with physio, and the guilt that comes when I ultimately don’t exacerbate any anxiety or low mood I was already feeling about my medical experience.
Not being able to complete the physiotherapy will ultimately prolong and worsen your mental condition, as it prolongs the injury and prevents proper physical healing, worsening the mental trauma symptoms.
It’s important to acknowledge why you might be struggling to keep to your physiotherapy routine. Reflect on your medical experience and think about why it may be affecting your feelings towards the physio.
Discovering your mental barriers to physiotherapy
To understand why we resist physiotherapy, we sometimes need to dig deeper and ask ourselves reflective questions. Here are some to help uncover the root cause:
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- How has the traumatic event affected how I use or move my body?
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- Are the exercises reminding me of the traumatic memory, and I’d rather not think about it or address it?
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- Is my current lifestyle adjusted to my injury and healing process, blocking me from building physio exercises into my daily routine?
Making that connection between the mental and physical has helped me to recognise why physiotherapy isn’t easy for me, but it doesn’t always have to be like that.
The times I have stuck to my physio routine is when I am being held accountable by others. Whether that’s a text from my mum, or actually doing the exercises with my housemate every night, an acknowledgement from someone else helps me to feel less hesitant and more open to trying.
Tools to overcome mental barriers to physiotherapy
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- Speaking with your physio about how and why you’re struggling. They probably have experience with patients in similar situations and have advice on how to help.
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- Make small steps to building your physio exercises into your everyday routine. For example, doing them while you’re brushing your teeth, whilst watching TV or any other activity you have a habit of doing daily.
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- Make a physiotherapy diary, ticking off when you have done them each day to feel accomplished and keep yourself accountable. This will also help you to
track your progress and recovery over time, directly seeing how the physio benefits you—thus helping to overcome the barrier
- Make a physiotherapy diary, ticking off when you have done them each day to feel accomplished and keep yourself accountable. This will also help you to
