New beginnings

Welcome one, welcome all. 
My name is Dr. Matthew Rysdyk, owner of Remedy Physical Therapy. I wanted to spend this first post welcoming you to the community. I look forward to working with you soon!

One aspect of the human experience is that we will all have physical pain at some point. Whether it's slamming your finger in a door, playing too hard with your kids in the pool, or having that pulled low back just trying to swing that golf club a little faster to get the ball to the green, pain is inevitable.

But, pain does not have to be indefinite.

Pain should not be indefinite, because when it is, a whole host of problems come with it. Looking at current research, the best understanding of pain that we have is this: pain is a product of the brain. 

100% of the perception of pain comes from the brain. This means that each person has a pain experience that is different than another. If two people experience the same painful stimulus, Person A may feel less pain than Person B. Our perception of pain is influenced by so many factors in our life, it's hard to keep track of them all. For example, pain can be affected by stress, sleep levels, previous experiences with pain, prior treatments, social statuses, nutrition, activity levels, fears, anxieties, hopes, beliefs, etc. This list could probably go on forever. 

That's why pain is no joke, and it should not be taken lightly. If pain is not managed well, someone with pain can creep into differing levels of sensitization, a phenomenon in the body where a person can become more sensitive to pain and other stimuli. Have you ever wondered why some people can deadlift 500+ pounds without an issues, but other people "throw their back out" when tying a shoe? Here's another one: how can some people have back pain for years after injury, while others are down for only a few days? Pain can be more complicated than you think.

And that is where I would like to come in. With my clinical doctorate in physical therapy, I am trained to help look at the murky waters of pain and help you figure out the best way to overcome it. Whether you've had pain for 1 day or 10 years, I can help you look at the triggers of your pain and assist you in eliminating them. You do not have to navigate through your pain alone.

Through this forum, I will help explain some of the fundamental ideas that make up my practice, why and how my philosophy is different than other physical therapists, and provide you with research-based information and education about different conditions to help you become more knowledgeable about varying aspects of orthopedic conditions. 

Thanks for reading, and talk to you soon!