Key Point

• The care practitioners extend to clients, combined with dedication to their craft and skills, creates a powerful healing force.

“Excuse me, aren’t you Doug Nelson?” said a voice behind me. I was in the hallway of our newest clinic location that we share with a physical therapy clinic. A little surprised by the voice, I turned to face the woman who had approached me. The physical therapist with whom I was walking stopped to wait while I answered. 

“Yes, I am,” I replied, scanning my memory banks to ascertain whether this was someone I knew.

“I thought that might be you,” she answered. 

“Is there something I can do for you?” I asked. 

“I don’t know if you remember me, but I brought my husband to you many years ago. After a surgical procedure, he suffered from incurable hiccups that were driving both him and me over the edge. I don’t know if you remember treating him.”

“I do remember,” I said. It was an unusual case since I had never seen anyone with hiccups that lasted for many days. Truthfully, I don’t think I had ever treated anyone for hiccups before then. That alone made it memorable. 

Before I could ask about her husband, she shared that he had passed away several years ago. I expressed my sympathy, and she continued. 

“I want to relay to you how much it meant to both of us that you cared enough to help him. No one else seemed to have answers or any desire to help us out of that difficult situation. I remember you researched the condition and told us you weren’t sure this could help but would give it your absolute best. We have never forgotten your kindness and caring. I am so glad I ran into you today because we never got a chance to say thank you after that. Thank you for caring.”

After some parting words with her, the therapist and I continued to walk down the hallway. 

“Well, that was impressive,” the therapist said. “What wonderful feedback to hear so many years later. It obviously meant a lot to her to say that to your face.”

“Wow,” was all I could say in response, as I was still at a loss for words. 

“I have to ask,” the therapist continued, “were you able to help her husband?”

I looked at him quizzically. I would have thought the answer obvious, given what he just heard. Then it hit me—she did not say anything about the results, only the effort and concern. It was a perfectly appropriate question to ask. 

“Well, yes,” I said. “Remarkably so.” I then explained what I treated and why. 

Off and on the rest of the day, I kept thinking about this. The truth is, the results were very impressive because his hiccups did abate shortly after the treatment. And yet, years later, what she remembered was not the results achieved, but something far more meaningful. 

Under Our Control

There is a profound lesson here, one that all of us could employ in our practices. As someone who treats clients with very challenging musculoskeletal issues, achieving stellar results is no easy feat. So many things must go correctly, many more than clients ever realize. Excellent outcomes depend on addressing the right structure, in the right way, for the right reason, for the right amount of time, and in the right frequency. That’s a daunting series of clinical decisions with countless variables, and I’m always amazed that predictable results can emerge from such complexity. 

On the other hand, how we act and approach clients is much more under our control, and there are far fewer variables. The work we do creates the possibility for a deeply human connection—certainly a testament to the power of touch. True connection and caring are often represented in the actions we take, not just the words we speak. Actions truly speak louder than words. With this woman’s husband, caring was represented to her by me diving into the research literature to see if there was something I could do, and then being willing to employ those strategies even when success was doubtful. 

This brings up the other side of the equation—competence. Caring is incredibly important to positive outcomes, but not to the exclusion of competence. I’ve heard many clients describe interactions with various health-care providers by saying, “They were really nice, but . . .” 

Being kind and caring is only part of the equation. In the end, results matter. The caring we extend to others must also be matched with the care and dedication to our craft and the honing of our skills. Our clients deserve nothing less than our full attention. That also means attention to our dedicated efforts to being a great therapist and the hard work that goes into all that is required. It also means full attention to our deepest humanity, serving another person with our whole being. When caring and competence are aligned, few forces in the universe are more powerful.