“Don’t Do That!”

One day many, many years ago after I had just moved into a new community I had the occasion to find a new medical doctor. After checking with my insurance provider, I identified names of potential physicians, and then did some research and inquired of others. I finally decided on a particular individual who had a reputation of being a fine “country doctor” with a lot of experience and a reputation for having a remarkable rapport with patients. On my first visit I found him to be thorough, friendly and quite a repository for good advice. Over the years he became almost a teacher as he explained lessons of life, illness and the preventive measures to prevent illness. He was an excellent physician and an extraordinary person. He has retired now and is no longer in medical practice but his lessons remain.

On one particular visit I had as a complaint a very sore shoulder that had been bothering me off and on for several years. After examining my shoulder and reviewing my medical history of the shoulder that included bursitis and the beginnings of arthritis, the doctor had me perform a series of range of motion exercises. As my strongest complaint was that my shoulder hurt while reaching and stretching the arm over my head, the doctor tried to replicate the conditions that resulted in the most pain. As I stood parallel to a wall and walked my fingers up the wall I soon reached the point where I said “Ouch, right there. That’s where it hurts.” The wise doctor asked, “It hurts when you raise your arm high and stretch to reach?” I replied, “Yes”. He said simply, “Don’t do that”. No drugs, no cortisone injection, no referral to a specialist – just his simple statement “Don’t do that!”

I sat down following the examination and the doctor explained his earlier comment. He told me that many times when people come to him with a complaint there is an expectation that they will receive a prescription or medication of some kind when in effect these medications are not needed. He explained the “doctor visit/prescription” is almost a “reward” response that seems to justify coming to see the doctor. He said that I needed only to rest the arm and refrain from doing things that will aggravate the condition. How often do you really need to stretch your arm like that? If in doing something you have to strain yourself, it is probably better that you find another way to do it, the use of a stepladder, perhaps.

On self-reflection I recognized that I had been overusing the arm as well by throwing a football for too long over the week-end which always results in the need for aspirin or some other drug. I do many things that abuse my body and wonder sometimes why I feel pain or some other form of discomfort. As I get older (and hopefully wiser) I remember often the lesson this doctor taught me over and over again. When you have to strain and it causes pain – remember the doctor and . . . . “Don’t do that!”

              - By Don Doherty, MA, Ed.S.

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