A. Smith: helped me to create my own path to wellness

It all began one evening when I injured my right shoulder. I could barely raise my arm above my head the next day, and I was unable to work for almost a week. I work as a physical therapist assistant, so my occupation calls for a heavy volume of typing treatment notes on an iPad which puts my arms in a flexed position and places strain on the shoulder, and heavy lifting that involves assisting my patients with standing and walking. I was in absolute pain! By the end of a work day my shoulder would throb from the positioning that my shoulder would be in from documenting all day, along with the sheer physical labor that goes along with the nature of my job. Aside from all this I’m also accustomed to partaking in exercise three times a week where I really push myself. Needless to say after I hurt my shoulder I certainly couldn’t even do mild exercise without pain, I was lucky enough as it was to be able to continue working to support my family! Due to my clinical knowledge, I had a pretty good idea that the injury didn’t require surgery. I took a ten week hiatus from recreational boxing and exercise before attempting to resume. Ten weeks after the injury I was in less pain while performing my duties at work, so I thought that perhaps my shoulder had healed enough to be able to resume exercising, however I was wrong! The pain would increase during the recreational activities and would also increase for days afterward. Like I already mentioned, exercise has always been a part of my life, so I was feeling quite discouraged at that point. I went to Dr. Hawkes seeking relief from from this problem, not only did I find the help I needed but I also received something more! When I completed the intake form, I made sure to meticulously depict the exact areas on the human diagram were pain was present and to describe the type of sharp stabbing pain I had. I didn’t give much thought to the questions about health history as I was only interested on getting treatment for the shoulder. I answer the piece on the intake form regarding mental/emotional satisfaction. By honestly answering this portion of the form some light had been shed on an area of my life that I’ve been struggling with for about twenty years, the issue being anxiety. Relief from the shoulder pain became progressively more after each treatment session with Dr. Hawkes. Now I can sleep through the night without waking up multiple times because of the deep aching pain. I have now been able to resume all of the previous recreational activities at about 90% function of pre-injury status! Dr. Hawkes told me from the first day I talked to her that if 80% could be achieved then that would be a good outcome, but I know she will get me back to 100%. She has also been treating me for anxiety, I will have to say that the temporary relief that I experience after an acupuncture session has afforded me some moments of clarity that has allowed me to come to some realizations about some of the things that are involved with episodes of anxiety that I experience and to objectively analyze these dysfunctional thought processes. Thanks to Dr. Hawkes I have a more balanced outlook on life. I am fortunate to have found the Jade Path, it has greatly helped me to create my own path to wellness.