29/08/2022
The healing journey of Dr. Niki Christodoulou through my M. T & Pilates rehabilitation sessions.
I am so happy that this time I decided to video this process, unfortunately there is not videos of my Manual Therapy since I could not video while my hands on her.
MY JOURNEY TO HEALING
Dr Niki Christodoulou
August, 2022
On November 15, 2021, I had a very bad fall during which I fractured my right shoulder in three places. It was a beautiful morning, and I was walking peacefully toward the gym where I have my Pilates classes with my instructor Ricardo Cuellar. The irony was that on that morning, I was going to tell Ricardo that for the first time in my life my body was completely pain free thanks to Pilates. During the two years prior to the fall, I was at my best due to Pilates: my body was strong, and I was at my ideal weight. Unfortunately, this accidental fall set me back a great deal.
The fall was awful. I fell on the hard pavement and my arms opened in front of me as I was sliding away on the floor. Ricardo, along with other instructors came running out of the gym to help. Ricardo was kind enough to rush me to the hospital. I was lucky that in my misfortune, these people were there and ran to my rescue.
After X-rays and CTC scans, it was determined that I was a borderline case for surgery, and my doctor advised against having one. My arm was then placed in a sling, and I was given heavy-duty pain killers. I was told that I had to make sure the arm and shoulder stayed immobilized for two months.
From there on, the long (eight month) and painful Odyssey of my healing began. For the first two months, I had to sleep in a sitting position with lots of cushions on my back and on my sides. The arm, from the shoulder to the elbow was black from the bruising, and I was in a lot of pain. I could not do simple tasks like dress by myself or eat using my right hand. I am grateful to my sons for helping me do these tasks every day.
At the beginning of February, I began going to physiotherapy three times a week. The physio sessions aimed at gradually opening the shoulder so it would not stay locked in place. This was a very slow and painful process, and I knew the road to healing was going to be long.
There were days the pain was excruciating, and despair and hopelessness would overcome me. Also, I could not drive, so I had to stop going to work. I was able to work online though and that was a relief. Nevertheless, the seclusion in the house only added to my depression and the feeling of helplessness. Boredom and loneliness led to binge eating, too, so I put on weight. There were times I doubted if my life would ever go back to normal.
At the beginning of April, I began my private healing sessions with my Pilates instructor Ricardo. We would meet twice a week. These sessions lasted four months and were in addition to the physio sessions.
The private sessions with Ricardo were amazing. Apart from the knowledge in anatomy and techniques based in biomechanics of the human body that Ricardo used to help mobilize my shoulder, Ricardo possesses a healing energy that comes through his hands. This positive and therapeutic energy worked wonders with my shoulder. After every session, I felt much better physically and emotionally. The sessions with Ricardo applying the technique of pilates exercises boosted my energy and helped me stay patient and positive, too.
Now, eight months since the fall, my shoulder has a full range of motion and is almost completely healed. I say almost because a traumatic injury like mine always leaves ‘scars’, physical and emotional ones.
However, the body is an incredible ‘machine’. It has all the necessary tools to heal itself provided we put faith to this process. I believed in the ability of my body to self-heal, and I managed to persevere. I also helped my self-healing with prayer and meditation.
I am grateful to my instructor Ricardo for his support and guidance during these eight difficult months of my life. I had complete trust and faith in Ricardo, and I know I could not have healed as fast if it wasn’t for him. I am also grateful to my physiotherapist and my family for being my side. When accidents like this happen, one cannot do it alone. We need to lean on other people to help us get through challenges. Many thanks to all from the bottom of my heart.
