Rehabilitation Theory Is Bullshit

Rehabilitation Theory Is Bullshit

From a personal Facebook post in 2019 when I had hurt my shoulder at work. Publishing because I think it’s the sort of thing that needs to be shared.

 

I feel pooped from this long weekend. Got a weird amount of stuff done between not doing anything.

 

But not as tired as I feel when I go to work. I’m tired of hearing the rehabilitation rhetoric of “going to work is good for you”. You know what? It wasn’t good for me for MONTHS.

 

I had spent most of 2019 in pain from what is technically a simple injury. An unknowingly bad choice to seek a conveniently located doctor (who didn’t give a fuck about me) and workcover insurance being painfully, unnecessarily slow has done nothing but make me suffer.

 

Due to defective tonsils and iron I feel like I’ve spent most of my adult life having to go to work and pretend to be fine when I’m not. I finally had iron and tonsils taken care of and this injury really pissed me off.

 

And I’m so beyond the people who don’t help. The H&S rep who told me I can’t be struggling with fatigue from pain (WTF?). They were suddenly a doctor offering advice; when previously they didn’t even want to admit physio is the standard treatment for this injury. The doctor who ignored me when I was sitting in his office bawling from pain and begging for help. The structure of the world where I can’t take care of myself first.

 

Which brings me back to the whole concept of “get back to ‘normal’ work and life ASAP” being utter bullshit. Maybe with the perfect care team on call that’s possible. For me it just felt like torture.

 

What has brought this up?

This long weekend I’ve done a lot around the home. Including things I probably shouldn’t have done because they were pushing the boundaries of my physical ability right now. But yesterday I realised that despite all the tings I was doing, I was able to pace myself and rest as need, which meant I’ve had very few painkillers overall, and no prescription painkillers at all.

 

I don’t get to choose how and when I do work. Which causes me pain.

 

I don’t know who thought up this rehab theory that “back to work ASAP” is “best”, but to me, it’s bullshit.

 

Rehabilitation Theory Is Bullshit

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