Rest! Recover!

I am guilty – guilty of not practicing what I’ve preached. I have always prided myself on strictly following the advice I give my patients. A patient taught me how important this was in my very first year of practice; I was scolding him for not having had a check-up in several years, and he asked me when was the last time I had been to MY family doctor… and it had been years. I found a doctor and went. It turned out that I had some health issues to work on. Ever since then, I’ve made a point of following the advice that I give patients: I exercise, I eat right, I have an ergonomic workstation… How can I possibly expect my patients to do it if I’m not willing to do it?

Except it turns out that even I don’t follow my own advice all the time. Over the last year, the active lifestyle I pride myself on led to some bumps and bruises and eventually, low back pain (the irony!). And I ignored it. I thought I was strong enough to work through it while I healed. I didn’t want to disrupt my workout schedule, my jujitsu training, my active lifestyle. Every now and then I’d make time to get some treatment, but the only thing I did consistently was complain about it. And it came and went, and came and went.

So please, friends, learn from my mistakes. Even for a mild injury, take some time off. Don’t underestimate the importance of rest and recovery.