Masseuse 1st To Solve Pain Issue

Nikki Gibson, a medical massage therapist in the northeast, finds that shoulder instability and scar tissue go hand in hand with those with ADHD - an interesting and refreshing take you don't hear much. It's not the connection between the two conditions that's interesting as much as that Gibson has paid attention and asked the right questions long enough to know. This is value based care folks. She often asks patients multiple times the same question, intentionally, helping a growing contingent of menopausal women with mysterious pain find balance and mobility again--and a lot quicker than x-rays, young PTs, neurosurgeons and urgent care do. Her patients say she asks questions others do not. That art is lost in our healthcare delivery system that almost encourages inefficiency and waste. People go to what's accessible, like urgent care, which wasn't a thing 25 years ago. It's increased access but I wonder at what cost? Oft times, it leaves people guessing. The journey shouldn't have to be so long and confusing. One patient, Anne, 54, saw a PCP, available only by telehealth, who prescribed a steroid. She then saw a neurosurgeon who didn't actually touch her shoulder or back, ruled out spinal issues, and referred Anne to PT. She told the PT she had lifted weights one day and her pain came from that, the PT agreed, and showed her some exercises. But the pain continued. The woman's friends suggested a chiropractor, she found one in the insurer's directory, he made her feel better, and then said she probably has shingles and should get checked immediately. She felt hope - a diagnosis! An urgent care PA, overstretched because it was 7 o'clock at the end of a long day, told Anne she could not possibly have shingles and to just get an MRI. Insurance laughed at that request and said no. It wasn't until she saw the medical massage therapist did the answer come - the masseuse asked her how she spends her day and found out she knits, like a lot. "This isn't the cause, but it exacerbated the pain and it's spreading." She suggested a trainer rather than just the massages, rather than PT. This is to say the entire experience takes too long because people either just don't know, the internet doesn't know, AI doesn't know, and insurers have a system that drives people to untrained eyes. Is there a role for someone to fix this - reach out to me if you have thoughts or a story to share about someone making impact, like Gibson.