Healing the Healers: A Story from the Therapy Floor

It began with a quiet wince.

Not from a patient this time, but from one of the therapists on our floor. He rose slowly after a long neuro session, placing a hand at his lower back. I noticed the slight stiffness in his walk, the effort it took him to hide the discomfort. He wasn’t alone.

Over the next few days, I began to see the signs in others — tiny pauses, silent stretches between patients, a subtle shift in posture. And then, it happened to me too. A sharp tug in my back after a full day of therapy. That’s when it truly sank in.

We — the healers — were hurting.

As physiotherapists, we speak the language of movement. We teach recovery, strength, and flexibility. But in our dedication to others, we had slowly stopped listening to our own bodies.

Within my team, four of us were now dealing with pain. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was persistent. Paraspinal spasms, tight hamstrings and glutes, stubborn piriformis tension, a pulling sensation in the IT band, and heavy, aching calves.

The very muscles we treat daily were now demanding our attention — not in patients, but in ourselves.

That evening, after a long day and an aching back, I sat down and asked myself: If this were a patient, what would I do?

And the answer came simply: Start with care.

I designed a stretching protocol — nothing fancy, just focused and intentional.

• Paraspinal stretches to release spasms
• Hamstring and glute stretches to ease tightness
• Gentle piriformis and IT band mobility
• Calf stretches to restore flexibility

We began practicing it as a team. Ten minutes before we opened the therapy floor, and ten minutes after our last session ended. No fuss, no formality — just therapists caring for themselves.

Within weeks, the change was visible.

The winces disappeared.

Energy came back into our sessions.

Movements felt lighter, less forced.

Our posture, our moods, even our endurance — everything began to shift.

More importantly, there was a new sense of respect — for our own limits, our own needs.

This experience taught me something I’ll carry with me always:

We can only give our best to others when we choose to give a little care to ourselves first.

So here’s my message — not as a department head, not as a clinician, but as a fellow physiotherapist:

Before you stretch someone else’s limb, stretch your own.

Before you ease someone’s pain, acknowledge your own.

Because even healers need healing.

And sometimes, it begins with just 10 minutes... and a decision to pause.

— Cerebrations by Divya