What’s Your Tipping Point?
WHAT IS YOUR TIPPING POINT?
What do I mean by ‘Tipping Point’? Well for me this is the point at which you decide to do something. I have thought about this a lot recently as I experienced tooth pain. Now this wasn’t something new. In fact I first saw a dentist 2 years ago with sensitivity in the same area. X-Ray was taken with a full exam and was told my teeth looked fine. In fact, I was told my teeth were in good shape and I went away pretty pleased with myself.
Unfortunately my symptoms, although low grade and manageable, never cleared but I was reassured again that all was well. As is typical for these types of things my tooth became somewhat more irritable right as COVID-19 started to result in everything shutting down. I tried to ignore it and convinced myself that it would settle with care and a little time.
Time in this instance was of little use and things began to deteriorate. I found myself sitting clutching the side of my face more often and sourcing painkillers. There was definitely comfort gained from these.
But then came the point that I decided to do something about it, my tipping point. So for those that don’t know me, I run a physiotherapy practice with my wife. Like nearly everyone else we too are closed which resulted in a sudden stop in all income. As we navigate our way through this, unexpected expenditure is not our friend but I reached a point where I would have spent anything to get relief! What was interesting was that this wasn’t so much about the pain but rather my expectation of how my life was going.
Things that were now suddenly important to me, like going for a jog, were out of the question as sucking in air (I’m not as fit as I would like) was horrible. Trying to enjoy a cup of tea or eat was a dread. Here I was, suddenly with more time on my hands than I’d had for years; more time than usual to return to my beloved running; more time for three meals a day with Harriet and the kids and I was just not able to enjoy… THIS WAS MY TIPPING POINT. It wasn’t about pain but rather the expectation of what I wanted from my life.
So, I’m thinking about all our potential patients. What are their ‘Tipping Points’? What will cause them to seek our services. We should think about the outcome. The ability to go for a walk, to run, to sit comfortably with family, to look after loved ones and to look after yourself.
Seeking care is often about more than pain!!!
Roberto Pelosi is the founder and principal Physiotherapist at Premier Physiotherapy. He has over 25 years experience as a Physiotherapist, working in the United States, Australia, the UK and Ireland. He and the team at Premier Physiotherapy are committed to helping clients remain painfree, mobile, independent and doing the things they love to do.