Join Sandy Hilton discussing the One Thing she wants people challenged by pain to know about. Explore the current state of pain science research and clinical practice in this straight-to-the-point interview with Sandy.
About Sandy Hilton
Sandra (Sandy) Hilton graduated with a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Pacific University in 1988. She received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Des Moines University in 2013. Sandy has contributed to multiple book chapters, papers, and co-authored “Why Pelvic Pain Hurts”. She is an international instructor and speaker on treating pelvic pain for professionals and for public education. Find out more about Sandy here.
Transcript
Sandy, what’s the one thing you want people suffering from persistent pain to know about?
The one the one thing I want people to know about that are suffering with persistent pain is that it can change. I think that from what I see in the clinic, so many people have been told, by their friends by their doctors or their physiotherapists that, that what they have right now is all it’s going to be. And that what we’re really going to do is help them to learn how to deal with that. There are times where that’s, that’s a good answer. But there’s also times where it’s really just steals the life to get a little poetic and philosophical, that steals the will to keep fighting against it.
I would just love to have people understand that pain can and does change, and there are ways to modify it for you. We just get to get creative. And I think that’s my biggest role in people with pelvic pain of any gender is that I can help problem solve and get creative and do the what ifs and help find something that’s less bad. And that leads to restoring all of the things you love to do.
When those things are disrupted, it makes self-actualization a little challenging. And they’re all supposed to feel good. So not as it, it’s really distressing when there’s a problem with them. But we’re also robbed of one of the main pleasures that we get pretty much unconsciously throughout the day. So I laugh and say that I have a way better time getting people to be consistent with their home programme because the goal is like having sex and loving it. Or a really good bowel movement. You know, or it’s just I can sit in my most comfortable chair and watch television and have it feel good. Yeah, those are the pleasures that we get every day in life that they get robbed when you have pelvic pain.
It can change, it really can. It’s hard. And we have to be creative. But it can change. So there’s, there’s a lot of, yes it can change. We know that that’s how pain works. And we’re going to get creative with this. And there’s no, here’s your magic six exercises that are going to work for everyone but we get some principles we can work with and I think that helps a lot too because sometimes people are like, well, I tried the thing I read on the internet, and I’m not any better. So that must mean I can’t get any better. No, just means that wasn’t the thing that’s going to change you and we know that there’s something that can change you because pain changes.
That’s cool. You just got to find it. And that sounds like that’s part of the job.
It is because then people come with their own little compass of better or less bad, And we’re going to call that a temporary win and build on it. So it’s a lot of reframing. It’s a lot of education, it has to be a lot of laughter, because we’re talking about silly things that are often like an eight year old joke, fart jokes, things like that. There’s a special kind of person that works in public health. We’re not afraid to talk about things. Because you have to.
I love it, because there’s hope there’s always hope.