If It Can Happen, It Can Unhappen: Getting Your Health and Your Life Back

What if the problem you’ve been living with for years isn’t something you simply have to accept? What if the key is finding what’s actually getting in the way of healing?

I’ve been a physical therapist for more than 40 years. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my own experience and working with thousands of people, it’s this:

Don’t assume that because something has been wrong for a long time, it has to stay that way.

I’ve seen people make changes they never expected. I’ve experienced it myself. And I’ve learned that sometimes the most important step isn’t doing more of what you’ve already tried. It’s finding a different way to understand what’s happening in your body.

I Couldn’t Run for Eight Months

Running has been a big part of my life. I ran a 2:28 marathon in 1990, and running has continued to be something I love.

But there were times when I couldn’t run at all.

At one point, I went eight months without being able to run. I had to figure out what was going on and why my body wasn’t recovering.

That experience led me deeper into Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT), root-cause mapping, and a different way of looking at the body.

Instead of focusing only on the painful area, I began looking for the underlying problem — the primary factor that was preventing my body from functioning and recovering as it should.

I found an approach that helped me get my running back.

Then, years later, I lost my running again. This time, I was dealing with a problem that kept me from running for a couple of years.

Once again, I had to investigate. What was going on? What was in the way? What hadn’t I figured out yet?

I worked through it and got my running back.

These experiences changed how I approach physical therapy. They taught me not to assume that the obvious problem is necessarily the primary problem — and not to give up simply because something has been going on for a long time.

Sometimes the breakthrough comes when we discover what we’ve been missing.

Tom: A Major Tune-Up

One of the most memorable examples came years ago when my wife and I were living in Maple Falls.

My father-in-law, Tom, was helping us fix up our house. In exchange, I worked with him.

We ended up doing sessions nearly every day for about 100 days, with a few days off here and there.

Tom had a number of longstanding problems. His posture was poor, his neck had been hard and achy for decades, his jaw popped, he ground his teeth at night, and he was having difficulty walking comfortably and upright.

He also had significant sleep problems. He needed five or six pillows to sleep comfortably, snored loudly, and his wife had noticed episodes when his breathing seemed to stop during sleep.

As we worked together, he began noticing changes in several areas of his life.

His posture improved. His neck became more comfortable, and he could turn his head much farther. His jaw relaxed, his walking became more upright and fluid, and he found he could sleep on his back without a pillow.

He also reported that his snoring became much quieter and that his wife no longer noticed the breathing interruptions she had previously observed.

These were changes Tom noticed in his own life, not results I would promise another person. But his experience made a lasting impression on me.

He eventually wrote a review describing what had changed for him. He ended with a line I love:

“Thanks Ralph for the major tune-up. I am ready for the next 30 years.”

That’s what makes this work so meaningful to me. It’s not just about a painful neck, a stiff back, or a restricted movement. It’s about what happens when people have more freedom to move, sleep, work, participate, and enjoy their lives.

You can read more patient experiences at RalphHavens.com/reviews and RalphHavens.com/testimonials.

What If You Could Get Back to Doing What You Love?

I also work with people who have accumulated plenty of wear and tear over the years.

Sports injuries. Accidents. Recurring back, hip, knee, and ankle problems. The physical consequences of living an active life.

One client put it beautifully. He says that our regular sessions help “keep him in the game.”

That’s exactly what he wants: to continue participating in his sports and doing the things he loves, rather than continually losing ground to one problem after another.

For him, we aren’t necessarily chasing one dramatic breakthrough. We’re working together over time, addressing what’s showing up and helping him maintain his ability to do what matters to him.

Sometimes that’s an important part of physical therapy, too.

You don’t have to wait until you’re completely incapacitated before you address a problem. And you don’t necessarily have to stop doing the activities you love just because your body has accumulated some mileage.

The goal is to find out what’s happening, address it as effectively as we can, and help you move forward.

Does This Mean You Need Treatment Every Day?

Absolutely not.

Tom’s experience involved an unusual arrangement that allowed us to work together frequently. It isn’t a requirement or a prescription for everyone.

I work with people in several different ways.

Some people travel to Bellingham because they’ve been dealing with complicated, longstanding conditions. They may arrange an intensive visit, working together for several hours a day over a few consecutive days.

Other people live locally and schedule one- or two-hour sessions weekly, every other week, or occasionally once a month.

And some people need only a focused course of treatment for a particular problem, followed by exercises, activities, or other strategies they can use independently.

The right approach depends on the person, the problem, the goals, and how their body responds.

I also offer online sessions for people who aren’t able to come to my office, where appropriate for their needs.

The point isn’t to keep you dependent on treatment. It’s to help you understand your body, address what’s getting in the way, and know what to do next.

Your Body Isn’t a Machine — But It Does Need Attention

Think about your car.

You maintain it, pay attention when something doesn’t sound right, and address problems before they become bigger problems.

Your body is far more complex than your car. It isn’t a machine with interchangeable parts. It’s a living system, and pain or dysfunction can involve multiple interacting factors.

You can’t simply tighten a bolt and expect everything else to fall into place.

That’s why I look at the whole person.

With Integrative Manual Therapy and root-cause mapping, I work to understand the patterns contributing to a person’s problem rather than assuming that the location of the pain tells the whole story.

We look for the primary factors that may be interfering with normal function and recovery. We then work to address those factors and reassess how the person responds.

Sometimes the important discovery is somewhere other than where the pain is felt.

Sometimes there are several contributing factors.

And sometimes progress takes time, experimentation, and a willingness to reconsider what we thought we knew.

There are no guarantees. Not every condition can be reversed, and some problems require medical evaluation or treatment alongside physical therapy. But a long history of symptoms doesn’t, by itself, tell us everything about what may still be possible.

If It Can Happen, It Can Unhappen

That’s a phrase associated with the Integrative Manual Therapy approach, and it captures something important about how I think.

It doesn’t mean that every condition can be cured or that every person will experience the same results.

It means that we shouldn’t automatically confuse the way things are today with the way they must always be.

If you’ve been living with chronic pain, recurring injuries, stiffness, restricted movement, or a condition that has gradually taken more and more of your life away, there may be factors that haven’t yet been fully understood or addressed.

You deserve to have those factors explored.

Because health isn’t just a number on a chart or the absence of a particular symptom. It’s being able to get out of bed comfortably, walk with confidence, sleep well, return to running, play with your kids, enjoy your sports, or simply get through your day without constantly thinking about your body.

When your health improves, your world can open up again.

And when something important has been taken away from you, it’s worth investigating whether you can get some of it back.

Let’s Find Out What’s Possible for You

I’m Ralph Havens, PT, IMTC, and I practice at Beyond Limits Physical Therapy in Fairhaven, Bellingham, Washington.

I’ve spent more than four decades helping people work through complicated physical problems. My own experiences losing and regaining my ability to run have made me especially committed to finding the underlying factors that may be keeping someone stuck.

If you’ve been struggling with a chronic or recurring problem, I’d like to hear what’s happening.

What have you been dealing with? What have you already tried? And what would you most like to get back to doing?

We can talk about your situation, explore whether my approach may be appropriate for you, and discuss a reasonable next step.

You don’t have to figure everything out before reaching out.

Your health matters. Your life matters. And it’s worth finding out what might be possible.

Beyond Limits Physical Therapy

Ralph Havens, PT, IMTC
Fairhaven, Bellingham, Washington

Call 360-599-2217, email Ralph@RalphHavens.com, or visit RalphHavens.com to learn more.

Read more patient experiences:
Patient Reviews
Patient Testimonials

Comments

comments