A 65-Year-Old – Significant Pain Relief in a Single Day
Mr. Das was in a lot of pain, in large part due to the emotional baggage he was holding on to. This case study details how he went from being in immense pain to being relatively pain-free in just one day!
Background
Over the years I have worked with corporates and other institutions to conduct yoga camps, and to help people address spinal health and other issues. I am also the Orthopaedic Camp teacher at The Yoga Institute in Santa Cruz east, Mumbai. Here, I have had the privilege of being able to help people with various ailments, particularly chronic pain problems.
At one such Orthopaedic Camp conducted at The Yoga Institute, I met an elderly gentleman that I was able to help. This is a case study about a 65-year-old man who had come to the camp with various aches and pains, and about how I was able to help him:
When this 65-year old man entered the room – let’s just call him Mr. Das so as not to reveal his real identity – his first reaction was to be a little upset. Everyone in the room was seated on the ground. However, he was unable to sit on the ground, he said, because of his health issues. He had various aches and pains and stiffness, so he was offered a chair to sit on.
After a while, I had a consultation with Mr. Das where I tried to understand his ailments. During the consultation I also tried to get some of his personal history to figure out the possible underlying causes of his ailments.
Mr. Das spoke about having many joint problems – aches and pains and mobility issues such as difficulty sitting on the ground and so on. He experienced significant and recurrent lower back pain as well. We also delved into his lifestyle, personal life, and emotional state since these can be very significant contributors to physical pain and other ailments.
Diagnosis
At the age of approximately 65, age was certainly a factor contributing to the pain and mobility issues of Mr. Das. The wear and tear and overall degeneration of joint health is commonly expected to cause some amount of discomfort at that age.
Mr. Das explained how he was still working at an age when many would have retired from work. He went on to speak of himself as an active person who did chores around the house and ran errands as well. As someone of modest means he did whatever was necessary to support himself and his wife, and to run their household.
As we spoke further I found that there was a great deal of sadness, and also resentment and anger that Mr. Das experienced. As an elderly person he also felt a certain amount of fear and uncertainty about his and his wife’s future.
I felt like we were now getting to the crux of the actual problem. Mr. Das was very disappointed in his son who was living apart from them. The son didn’t have the means or perhaps he didn’t have the inclination to help support his aging parents. This familial situation appeared to be causing Mr. Das a great deal of sadness, resentment and stress. I could gather that emotions such as the anger, stress, and fear were significant reasons for the physical ailments experienced here.
Prognosis
Our mental well-being informs our physical well-being. The reverse is true as well. The link between emotional and physical pain has been well established by researchers. Hence, when we resolve one, we resolve the other to a significant extent.
Over the years I myself have seen and experienced how this works: I have seen how stressful emotions trigger physical pain. Stress is a huge contributor to inflammation in the body. The physical pain then causes further emotional upheaval and all this creates a vicious cycle of pain. More emotional stress = more physical pain!
In my assessment, emotional pain was a big determinant of the kind of physical pain Mr. Das was experiencing. So what could I do in the limited amount of time I had with him at the ortho camp? Quite a bit, as it turns out! I am happy to say that in our short time together we managed to figure out a lot about Mr. Das, his ailments, and the underlying problems causing those ailments.
Treatment
After making an assessment of Mr. Das, I first started to calm him down, to relax him mentally and physically. Once he was somewhat relaxed I started him on some basic stretches. The aim was to slowly open the body, lengthen the muscles, and lessen the pain he was experiencing.
We went through a series of yoga postures as well as pranayama. These were designed to relax the body and the mind, to improve range of motion, and improve blood oxygenation. This not only soothed his mind, but also helped him feel better because of improved blood circulation.
About an hour later, Mr. Das seemed to be in less pain and seemed somehow lighter, as in, he seemed less troubled. One of the reasons for this was the fact that he was away from his home at the time – it was a respite from the repetitive tasks and the drudgery that contributed to his daily stresses. This camp, for him was like a welcome break, rather like a picnic or something. So, the change of environment was in itself helping. Because of this, he was in the right frame of mind to think more positive thoughts, and was open to making positive changes in his mindset.
After this, all the participants had a break for lunch. This was followed by relaxation sessions and Jal Neti, which is the ancient Ayurvedic practice of using water to clear the nasal passages.
Result
When we gathered back once again, I was surprised to see something: Mr. Das came back into the room, and proceeded to sit down on the mat – on the floor – along with everyone else. He seemed to have done this without conscious thought. Whereas earlier, he had asked for a chair to sit on, now he had happily settled on the floor along with the others, and was conversing with those around quite naturally.
Clearly he was feeling better and his stance of being seated on the floor indicated less pain and stiffness. Mr. Das had experienced improved circulation and better agility in just an hour of stretches. The Pranayama would have helped dissipate the anger and the resentment he was holding on to.
With a calmer thought process, his body as well as his mind were happier. During the second half of the ortho camp, Mr. Das sat on the floor for an hour and a half, seeming not to realise that he was doing something he believed himself incapable of! When I pointed out that he was sitting on the floor, seemingly without pain, he seemed surprised!
My Thoughts
I think I was able to explain the importance of managing stress to Mr. Das. He had grasped the link between stress and physical pain, and understood how one leads to the other: in other words, the Mind-Body connect.
I have repeatedly seen how we restrict our thought process and thereby limit our body as well. Very often, we become rigid in our way of thinking. We nurse grudges, we feel resentment and anger, we don’t forgive. We keep thinking in the same way and experience the same emotions, so that our bodies continue to feel the same pain and stiffness.
When we are able to shrug off the baggage of our mental rigidities, this can have very positive outcomes. As our mind finds positive pathways, our body finds its way out of its physical pain as well. This is a beautiful outcome, as in the case of Mr. Das. For the first time, he felt able to forgive – his son in this particular case – and he was able to move on; to move beyond his own rigidities. He realised that his mental rigidities were somehow connected to his physical pain and stiffness.
He was able to see the positives in his life: the fact that even at 65 he was an active and able man. He was a self-sufficient individual who had the support and companionship of his wife. He was feeling less pain and stiffness in just one day! He was feeling more energetic and started to have a more positive outlook on life. As he started to be more accepting of his life. He felt calmer, happier, lighter, and less in pain.
Mr. Das started to do yoga, and as far as I know, he continued to practice yoga thereafter. As a yoga instructor and therapist, there can be no more satisfying and rewarding experience for me!