Dr. Jacob Swart

These scribbles and truly horrendous display of handwriting may not look like much, but it’s the result of one of the most powerful tools we have as human beings.
Listening
I had a patient come in yesterday confused and frustrated by a recent flare-up in his back pain after weeks of no pain and continued progress. He was lost in his thoughts and felt like he was spinning his wheels.
So we mapped things out. Talked through his past couple weeks and days leading up to his increased symptoms and here is what we found.
1. Spent the last week on vacation (which is great!) but didn’t sleep very well while he was there
2. Drove 6 hours nonstop
3. Had to deal with some family matters as soon as they got home
4. Continued to not sleep well and have increased anxiety surrounding handling the situation
What do all of these have in common? Not a single thing we talked about involved something that "injured" his back
Instead, by asking deeper questions, avoiding diving straight into special tests and simply listening, we were able to walk out of the clinic with signicantly less back pain.
Moral of the story. People are complex. Take the time to listen to be present and listen their story, situation, journey.

Set your goals and f***ing bring it to 2021 🔥