Anyone who has ever struggled with chronic pain or repeat injuries knows the frustration and defeatism that can accompany it. And while multiple failed attempts at recovery can make you feel like giving up, it’s important to remember that even if you manage to follow your physio’s instructions to the letter, there could be underlying factors contributing to your injuries in unexpected ways. This is why finding the right practitioner is crucial to an effective and lasting recovery. During his teenage years our guest, Joel Goullet, experienced recurring pelvic injuries, and it was only after visiting an osteotherapist that he was able to identify and address the root cause of his issues. This experience played a key role in his decision to become an osteopathic manual therapist and has shaped his own approach to patient care in profound ways. In our conversation, we discuss Joel’s approach to rehabbing injuries, patient care, and how to help your patients with rehab adherence, especially when they fall off the wagon. We also discuss how to advocate for yourself as a patient, and reflect on how to determine whether a practitioner has your best interests in mind. To learn more about rehab, recovery, and finding the right practitioner for you, make sure you tune in today!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Get to know Joel Goullet and how he became an osteopathic manual therapist.
- A breakdown of Aussie rules football and Joel’s enthusiasm for the sport.
- The stress fractures that Joel developed in his pelvis as a teenager.
- How an osteotherapist helped him find the root cause of his recurring injuries.
- An overview of female triad syndrome and relative energy deficiency in sport.
- How to determine what your clients need on a case-by-case basis.
- How Joel’s injuries influenced his career trajectory.
- Joel’s transition from Australia to Canada.
- How the Australian system supports students in paying off debt.
- The benefits of working with different demographics.
- The diversity of Joel’s clinic and the benefits of working in a collaborative environment.
- Unpacking the approach of an osteopathic manual therapist.
- Joel’s philosophy around maintenance and preventative care.
- Why Joel believes practitioners should empower their patients to help themselves.
- The financial barriers to receiving care.
- How to construct a plan your patients can afford.
- How to tailor your rehab plan for your patient’s lifestyle.
- How practitioners can help patients feel supported when they deviate from their rehab adherence.
- Why regular check-ins during the first week are so beneficial for client adherence.
- An overview of the term alignment and when it’s relevant for treatment.
- Why movement is so important for good posture.
- Understanding whether your posture is contributing to pain or injury.
- The sport and activities that Joel takes part in now and how they help with his practice.
- The importance of exploring different types of exercise activities.
- Some of the most common injuries that Joel sees in runners.
Tweetables:
“I feel so grateful that I got to sit in those rooms with all those other practitioners. I think it creates a really humble approach, where you support each other, rather than going to a pecking order, or hierarchical order.” — Joel Goullet [0:13:56]
“I’m probably a little bit polarizing within the industry because I’m not a maintenance guy. I don’t like maintenance for healthcare. I think my role as a practitioner is to empower the individual and be their sounding board when something doesn’t make sense.” — Joel Goullet [0:24:46]
“Don’t walk out of your consult without having rehab that fits what you do.” — Joel Goullet [0:38:44]
“Finding that why is extremely important for adherence, and that’s anything within goal setting is you need to know that why.” — Nate Ernst [0:48:39]
“The brain won’t let the body go where it’s not strong. If you want to create a lasting change in your tissue, as far as being able to get more range of motion out of it, you need to strengthen it where it’s weakest, and it’s always weakest at its end ranges of motion.” — Nate Ernst [0:55:58]
“You want to stress tissues and create micro-tears. If you’re not getting nutrition to recover from them, you’re going to cause problems.” — Joel Goullet [01:05:31]
“Advocate for yourself to the practitioner. Know your lifestyle. Don’t just take a sheet of handouts. Get something that’s really tailored to you.” — Joel Goullet [01:06:52]
Links Mentioned:
