Inquisitive.me

When I welcome a new patient into my practice, there’s one question I ask almost every time:

“What therapy have you already had before coming to me?”

It gives me a sense of where they’re coming from — whether they only got pain meds from a doctor, some massages, or already experienced physiotherapy.

My next question is usually: “What exactly happened during those sessions?”

Sometimes I even ask if they got exercises and actually did them. You can tell instantly — if they remember them, they did them. If not, they probably didn’t. That’s when I know we’ll need to talk about self-efficacy and autonomy.

What really frustrates me is when I hear that someone did have physiotherapy, but only received passive treatments like electrotherapy, ultrasound, or massages. That’s the classic Austrian triad — still common, even though research shows it doesn’t help long term.

And honestly? It makes me angry.

Not at the patient — they don’t know any better — but at the system.

In many clinics, physiotherapists can’t choose how to treat their patients. Most therapists do their best, but they’re trapped in a structure that limits them. I couldn’t work like that. It goes against everything I believe in — I’d burn out within months.

Thankfully, there are other physiotherapists who’ve stepped out of that system — like me.

In my own practice, I can do what I know is right: follow research, tailor treatment to each person, and focus on what patients really need. But because of that, I can’t understand why so many physios still stick to purely passive approaches.

Just the other day, I talked to a friend of my parents. He’s been seeing a physio for almost a year, but his condition keeps getting worse. That happens sometimes — some people don’t respond, no matter what you do. But when I hear that these patients only get passive treatments and no exercise plan, it drives me crazy.

He says the therapy helps for about a day or two — then the pain’s back.

I get it — we all want to feel like we have healing hands. Like we can fix someone instantly.

But life isn’t a video game where you patch up your teammates with one click.

Your patient spends maybe 45 minutes a week with you. The other 111 waking hours? They’re on their own. If your 45 minutes could magically fix someone, even Jesus would be jealous.

Treating a patient is at least 50% education.

Patients need to learn how to help themselves. It’s like a dietitian eating dinner with their clients once a week — and the rest of the time, those clients live on junk food. No wonder there’s no progress. It’s wild that this approach still exists.

Some argue that patients want passive treatments. That they prefer handing over control.

Yes, some do — at first.

Others think that’s just how therapy works because no one has ever shown them differently.

But once they understand that they can take control, most feel empowered. I see it every week — the moment they understand they’re no longer dependent on someone else to “fix” them. That’s real progress.

You’re not helping your patients by making them dependent on you.

You’re turning them into your slot machine. And that’s neither ethical nor fair.

So stop cracking, fixing, and readjusting as if you have magic hands.

If you really “realigned” a joint, what keeps it from misaligning again the moment they get into their car? It just doesn’t make sense.

I move my spine, hips, knees, and shoulders in all kinds of strange ways — especially while climbing — and nothing’s ever “gone out of place.”

I used to believe in those fixes too, back when I was a patient myself, back when I didn’t know better. But I learned to take control. My biology background and a bit of stubbornness helped me question everything.

Now, I move freely, train freely, climb freely — and I love it.

Yes, cracking feels satisfying, but it’s just your brain playing tricks on you. Nothing’s being “adjusted.”

So please, let’s move away from passive treatments. Let’s educate, activate, and empower our patients.

Hands-on techniques can have their place — but use them intentionally, always followed by active work and education.

If you want your child to become independent, you teach them how to cook, clean, and manage money.

If you want your patients to recover, teach them how to heal themselves.

🧪 Let’s Experiment

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Empower your patients instead of fixing them —
teach them how to take control of their own recovery.

We often want to help so much that we forget how we help matters just as much as what we do. So let’s flip the script.

🎯 Try This:

Next time you treat a patient, pause before reaching for your usual tools.

• Ask yourself: “Am I doing this for them or with them?”
• Replace one passive intervention this week with an educational moment — even a small one. Explain why you’re doing what you’re doing and how they can continue it at home.
• If you’re a patient, notice your role in the process. Do you show up expecting to be fixed, or are you ready to participate in your recovery? Try adding one active habit this week — a short exercise, a mindful movement break, or even journaling your pain patterns.

It’s not about big changes. It’s about planting the seed of responsibility and confidence — both for the therapist and the patient.

🧠 Final Thought:

Empowerment doesn’t come from magic hands but from knowledge and consistency. The more your patients understand their body, the less they’ll depend on you — and that’s the ultimate sign of success.

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Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learning—you’ve got this.

Take care,

Carina 🦊