Fearfully Wonderfully Made

Back to Italy!

It was with excitement and nervousness that I returned to Italy just after the 2023 New Year holiday. Excitement surrounding travel to Europe. Nervousness as I was invited to help teach at the Stecco’s Fascial Manipulation Institute in Padova, Italy. The course was nothing new to me – Fascial Manipulation Level 1, a course I have taught multiple times here in the US. What was different was that this was the International School, and the first time in English. Additionally, I would be working with giants in the organization: Antonio and Carla Stecco.

The Fascial Manipulation International School Padova, Italy January 2023 — I was honored to be invited to assist with the first Fascial Manipulation International School in English. Here we are posing in front of the Institute in Padova, Italy. This is a remarkable gathering of clinicians from all over the world who commit to a robust three year curriculum aimed at honing their skills in the Fascial Manipulation-Stecco® method. Of course, there’s a story about those barefoot individuals! Photo by Noemi Nicolucci.

Fascia, Anatomy, & Canada!

I was thrilled to recently attend the 6th International Fascia Research Congress held in Montreal, Canada. This was my second time attending this event, which is held every three years in different parts of the world. I had been to one prior Congress held in Reston, Virginia in 2015. Considering I live only 1.5 hours away from Reston it seemed like a must to at least try. So glad I did! I found the people, topics, energy, and events were perfectly aligned with my philosophy and personality. Practically every country in the world was present, as well as all health care disciplines – not just physical therapists – which I find stimulating. I returned home and couldn’t stop talking about it to my tolerant and supportive husband, Bill. I knew I had to go again, so I did!

Gross anatomy class McGill University — The gross anatomy dissection class at historic McGill University was part of the programming I attended for the 2022 Fascia Research Congress. People came from all over the world including Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, all parts of Canada, as well as all over the US. Disciplines represented included physical therapists, authors, researchers, physicians, osteopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists, body workers, and acupuncturists. Our instructors (front step in blue), Dr. Carla Stecco and Dr. Gabriel Venne, demonstrated incredible knowledge, skill, and respect for the connective tissues that are so often disregarded. Thanks to all my classmates and teachers for an incredible weekend! Photo by a kind passerby that we snagged.

A Loving Tribute

As you all know I am intense about about fascia, maintenance and prevention, and pursuing alternatives for health care that serve us best in the long run. As important as these are, this past week I have been severely reminded that they are not the ultimate priority.

Caring for Your Fascia & Biking

As I type this I am sitting in a hotel room at Horseshoe Bay Resort in Texas. My husband, Bill, and I are here for The Twin Cessna Flyer convention, rescheduled from 2021 – bet you can’t guess why. We flew here in our own twin Cessna (twin meaning it has two engines, not that we have two planes) which has allowed us to take many wonderful trips. God bless my husband for not complaining about all the stuff I bring when we travel! I like to have my stuff, and when you don’t fly commercial you can bring more stuff.

Bill and Colleen with their twin Cessna N414MW — Here we are with our twin Cessna, which has allowed us to make many trips to visit family (like this one for a reunion in Michigan) or for conferences such as in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. Bill has much more flight training training and experience than I do and serves as our very capable pilot in command. Photo by Kevin Murphy (my brother!).

A Minute of Margin: Restoring Balance to Busy Lives by Richard A. Swenson, M.D.

I’m choosing to write about this book as it has really made an impression on me. I have my younger sister, Mary, to thank for introducing me to it and so I’ll dedicate this post to her. 🙂

Colleen and her younger sister, Mary, in Arizona — ***My younger sister, Mary, and me in 2017 taking in the scenery at Sunset Point, Arizona, which is not far from her home in Mesa. Fun fact: Mary is also a physical therapist!***

When mentioning this book to others I often err by calling it a devotional, which it’s not. It’s a book of reflections (so titled by the author as well). To me the difference lies in its construct and purpose. Dr. Swenson is not trying to lead us into a time of devotion and prayer; rather, he is encouraging introspection on our part to critically examine our lives and do a vitals-check of sorts. Ultimately his points can direct us to be more contemplative and spiritually minded, but his approach is much more down-to-earth.

Tips on Finding a Provider

We all need help: some more than others, some for a brief period, others a longer stint, for a wide variety of issues. Finding a competent caregiver to help you navigate the slippery slope of healthcare can be tricky. But it’s not impossible, and begins with a bit of self-examination. What are you looking for? What are your needs? What are your preferences and priorities? What are your resources, in terms of time, availability, and finances? For instance, if your highest priority is having someone who can be available for you on short notice then that may be a determining factor in the kind of help you seek. Or if your schedule will never let you make or keep appointments then you may do better with a walk-in kind of situation. If finances are the number one item for you then you will need to work with someone who accepts your insurance or meets your out-of-pocket budget. If locality is important then there is no point in looking at providers out of your area.

Defining your expectations can be very helpful too. If you are looking for alternatives to medications, tests, and surgery then it may not serve you (or the provider) well to consult someone who leans heavily on these interventions. Conversely, if you like these approaches and have a firm mindset that they are what you need, then there is no point in you seeing someone (like me) who is all about offering alternatives and options to these approaches. If you are of the opinion that all you need from physical therapy is a few exercises then you may want to choose a therapist who supports that perspective. You get the idea.

A Different Direction in Healthcare

Colleen and husband Bill after biking — ***My husband Bill and me after a bike ride. It’s one good outcome we experienced from Covid 19: getting back on our bikes together! Photo by Bill Whiteford.***

I am a physical therapist who believes passionately in providing alternatives to medications, testing, and surgery for those living with pain and dysfunction – me included. Since graduating from Saint Louis University in 1984 with a degree in physical therapy, I have worked within a medical model that depends too highly on these interventions. This is reflected in our high cost of health care and poor outcomes. Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139) and hold tremendous capacity for healing when approached appropriately and holistically. Our tendency in healthcare – physical therapy included – is to compartmentalize the body into specialties: orthopedics, neurology, gynecology/women’s health, urology/men’s health, pediatrics, internal medicine, ear/nose/throat, vestibular, and more. Each encompasses their own set of tests/measures, diagnoses, medications, and invasive procedures. But the body knows nothing about our artificial compartments: there is no real division between the neck and the ear, the knee and the intestines, the foot and the bladder. They are all connected – left to right, front to back, head to hand to foot – by a marvelous connective tissue network. Understanding this network and how to best influence it has been the first part of my life’s work, and reflected in the countless hours of post-graduate training I have pursued. The second part is in communicating this to anyone who will listen: patients, clients, and other providers of all disciplines. Such is the impetus for this website.

NOW OR NEVER

Since graduating from Saint Louis University in 1984 with a degree in physical therapy, I have worked within a medical model that depends too highly on medications, testing, and surgery. This is reflected in our high cost of health care and poor outcomes. Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139) and hold tremendous capacity for healing when approached appropriately and holistically. Our tendency in healthcare – physical therapy included – is to compartmentalize the body into specialties: orthopedics, neurology, gynecology/women’s health, urology/men’s health, pediatrics, internal medicine, ear/nose/throat, vestibular, and more. Each encompasses their own tests/measures, diagnoses, medications, and invasive procedures. But the body knows nothing about our artificial compartments: there is no real division between the neck and the ear, the knee and the intestines, the foot and the bladder. They are all connected – left to right, front to back, head to hand to foot – by a marvelous connective tissue network. Understanding this network and how to best influence it has been the first part of my life’s work, and reflected in the countless hours of post graduate training I have pursued. The second part is in communicating this to anyone who will listen: patients, clients, and other providers of all disciplines. Such is the impetus for this website.