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Read more about our
case studies
Through our 20 years in this profession, we have acquired knowledge which has helped us carry out a holistic approach. Whilst for many patients, treatments focused solely on their pain will be successful, for others this may not be the case. This is because very often the underlying cause of the condition or problem may not be local to where the symptoms or pain are present.
This is where a holistic approach is beneficial as it allows for all avenues (such as posture, joint mobility and pattern movements) to be fully considered in order to relieve the pain effectively. Find out how we investigate individual cases to find the course of action to improve and relieve symptoms.
An athlete’s recovery
from chronic pain
In 2017, Wei Yin (not her real name), a semi-pro Netball player started to have shoulder pains that “pulled from her shoulders to her rib cage”. It would hurt every time she took a breath so it not only affected her Netball performance but also her daily life. The symptom surfaced during breathing, coughing, sneezing and after competitive netball games.
She had sought help from many professionals, namely chiropractors, physiotherapists. sports masseurs, traditional Chinese treatments but relief was temporary. The pain would return whenever her Netball training frequency increased or when she was under stress.
This unresolved “pulling pain” continued for 2 years until Dec 2019, when she was recommended by a friend to visit Bodyworks Studio. Her friend shared that her mother’s chronic Achilles tendinitis got significantly better after visiting Bodyworks Studio. Wei Yin was hopeful but also sceptical because it had been so long and no one was able to find the root cause of the problem.
After the first treatment session at Bodyworks Studio, Wei Yin indicated that she felt the best for the first time in a long while. “I left the first session of my treatment feeling enlightened and hopeful. I felt better physically and I liked the way Sam at Bodyworks tackled the problem”, shared Wei Yin.
Taking a holistic approach
“He assessed my injury as well as my habits and lifestyle. He took a holistic approach, seeing the mind and the body as one entity working together. He did not just target the area of pain, instead he searched for the root cause. In the first session, he suspected that the root cause might have been the tight sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles and the scalene muscles. And this might be due to my incorrect breathing technique, where I breathed using my accessory breathing muscles, as well as my forward head posture. He also sensed that I am an uptight person in general, from the way I spoke and how my muscles were tense in general”, said the feisty 28 year-old.
Sometimes it’s all in the breathing..
“We addressed the restrictions in the diaphragm/rib cage areas caused by breath holding habits; she developed these habits during her work/recreation as a way to focus on her performance; the breath holding habits were further exacerbated by her anxiety and over-thinking tendencies”, advised Sam, who oversaw Wei Yin’s treatment.
Both parties explored the problems in the subsequent sessions, and Wei Yin was given homework, to practise breathing correctly as well as to be more aware of her posture and state of mind. After a few months, her condition improved significantly, in terms of intensity as well as frequency of the pain. However it still did come back once every 2 weeks. At this point, Sam analysed her training programme and made certain adjustments to it, hoping that it would help her body cope better with the programme.
A journey of self-discovery
The self-management strategies Sam had prescribed were to help Wei Yin maintain the benefits she gained from the treatments. “The situation did improve but the pain only went away entirely during the period when my mind was more relaxed and at peace, even though my training frequency and intensity remained the same”, said Wei Yin. It was then she realised that the root cause of the problem was her state of mind. “It was an amazing realization and an amazing feeling, that I understand the situation and myself more now. It was a journey of self-exploration and enlightenment,” said Wei Yin.
Eventually, she learned to recognize her body tension through self-awareness and relearned to use diaphragmatic breathing. “In essence, the approach that Bodyworks Studio believes in is looking at the problem holistically and solving the root cause, instead of mere pain management,” Sam shares.
“It was a fruitful journey that came with patience and trust. I am grateful for Bodyworks for facilitating this journey. I recommend Bodyworks to anyone, but especially to those who have given up on trying to seek help for their chronic problems because at Bodyworks, you will see hope, right from the first session!”, enthused Wei Yin.
“I was in a lumbar corset for an entire year”
Gary (not his real name) had a back surgery in Mar 2018 and was given a soft corset for support thereafter. However, he was not informed and guided about pain and the process of recovery. The surgery provided 90% pain relief, but over time he had developed recurrent low back pain and numbness to the right buttock and left thigh.
He had an unpleasant experience with earlier physiotherapy sessions and did not continue after that until he consulted BodyWorks Studio almost a year later in Jan 2019.
By then, he became heavily dependent on a lumbar corset for activities of daily living. He expressed fear of his back “breaking” without the corset and believed that being sedentary would eventually fix his back. Clinically, his back muscles and nerves were spasming, guarding and highly sensitive to light touch - the muscle strength was masked by pain and loss of supporting tone. He became fearful and avoided movement so as not to further provoke the pain.
Importance of education on pain mechanism
“Gary needed extensive education on the physiology of pain and constant reassurance that he would not hurt his back if he moved more. By the first month, his low back pain and numbness were significantly reduced and over the subsequent months, we prescribed the appropriate type and intensity of exercises to progressively help him return to work and daily activities”, said Victor, the therapist assisting with Gary's treatment. “Apart from education on pain mechanism, we made sure treatment sessions were concurrently accompanied with expectation of symptoms at different stages of recovery. We also constantly reassured him that he could trust on his body’s innate ability to heal”.
By June 2019, he had recovered well with periodic treatments to tune up and was finally discharged in February 2021. “The Bodyworks team were there for me throughout the entire recovery phase. They were very professional, knowledgeable and good listeners to understand my concerns. Most importantly, the treatments and advice were effective and quickly helped me to navigate back on-track for my recovery,” shared Gary upon his discharge.
“We built trust with the patient over time and by establishing a good patient-therapist collaboration, we were able to ensure that the patient was moving in the right direction. Gary was compliant with exercises and gradually became less dependent on the lumbar corset. He later progressed to an advanced rehab programme and was able to discontinue use of the lumbar corset altogether,” said Sam, the clinical director.
“The recovery phase is never a straight line”
Enthused an elated Gary, “My strength and endurance improved to the point where I was able to travel abroad for work. I was eventually able to resume my regular activities after a year of physiotherapy treatment. As you may be aware, any recovery phase isn’t always a straight-line and can sometimes be frustrating. With Victor’s constant encouragements, I was able to jump out quickly for a speedy recovery. I must say he is one of the best therapists I have ever met after having abundant physiotherapy sessions across several countries”.
“Thank you once again from the bottom of my heart for making my treatment as bearable as possible and helping me strive for lasting recovery. I would like to express my gratitude to Victor and all the staff in Bodyworks Studio for the terrific services that were provided to me in the past 2 years. My recovery wouldn’t have been possible without all of you,” said Gary.
Upon reflection after Gary was officially discharged, Victor had this to share, “The post-surgery recovery process is critical in ensuring a patient recovers. In this instance, Gary could have been more informed and guided on the recovery process post-surgery and the pain mechanism (for example: how pain occurs, why pain occurs more sometimes, etc). The orthopaedic surgeon could have followed up with the patient’s recovery after surgery whilst the previous physiotherapist(s) could have continued to follow-up with Gary despite his absence from attending the treatment sessions”.
Blessing in disguise
As an expat, coming to Singapore with 32 years’ experience as a nurse, Lyn had prided herself on her erect posture and never had “ a bad back”. She had lived in Singapore for almost 9 years and volunteered at an organisation where she could use her nursing skills in palliative care of paediatrics in the community. “I did notice that my back would be stiff, and sometimes uncomfortable when travelling back from assignments. I put this down to the bending and stretching I was required to do to feed/move/play with these special kids. I was also approaching 60 years old and assumed I was just “feeling my age”,” shared Lyn.
According to Lyn, the best “blessing in disguise” was the day, in September 2020, when she was shaking the bedsheet while making the bed, and she experienced this “almighty” punch type pain in her lower right back. “It was so painful, I could not put my right foot down flat on the floor,” said Lyn. Her acute condition prevented her from walking since she was unable to put her foot down. This episode led her to A&E where an X-ray and MRI showed that she was suffering from Spondylosis, a diagnosis that led her to Bodyworks Studio to get the problem fixed.
Postural imbalance
After the initial assessment where Sam examined her, he was surprised at how “ tight “ her neck and spine were, making Lyn realise how her “so-called good and erect posture” was not good for her and she had to go back to basics. “Lyn’s condition was associated with postural imbalances and chronic poor lifting mechanics while working as a nurse and she has a history of back stiffness,” observed Sam, founder of Bodyworks Studio.
“The Bodyworks team worked hard to get me mobile again, with a regime of deep tissue massage, joint movement, electrical current therapy, stretch and bend exercises, to keep me from getting so tight and in pain again. They also taught me methods of self-care. For example, if I feel a bit achy. I know how to stretch and ease any tightness in muscles etc. Yu Hui then became my therapist with Victor doing my exercises with me. Their plan for me suited my age and lifestyle requirements. It is not a “ one size fits all” therapy. They assessed my needs and initiated a care plan,” said a grateful Lyn.
Importance of self-care
Lyn started out with twice weekly sessions, dropping to once a week, for a total of 6 months' intense therapy. “I had a set of exercises printed for me to follow when I dropped down to once a week and I faithfully do them every day. As a patient/client of Bodyworks, I also have a responsibility to the therapists to follow their instructions and do the exercises they teach me when I leave their care. There is absolutely no point in having this therapy and not continuing with the programme. Too many people do not understand that self-care will make the condition become manageable and it is so important to follow the advice and do the homework. To say I am a different person to the one who hobbled in is an understatement!” shared an elated Lyn.
“The welcome I receive, each time I go, from Lilian, Sharon and Jennifer is so pleasant. I am still attending now, May 2021, and I am so grateful for the professionalism, care, friendship that has been shown to me. I actually enjoy my sessions and I think I will miss them when I am ready to be discharged from their care,” said Lyn wistfully.
As she was very consistent (as compared to the average patient’s compliance) coming for the treatment and doing her home exercises, Lyn made great progress and was eventually discharged. “A point to note for this patient is that the timeline for recovery took much longer as we subsequently discovered that her underlying lower back pain was caused by layers of muscular restrictions accumulated from incorrect use of body mechanics through the years. The treatment sessions were analogous to “peeling off the layers of the onion” so that we could treat right into the “core” of her issues,” said Sam.
Patient’s names have been changed to protect their privacy.