A Diagnosis Is Just A Label

Today I had a great conversation with a client who received their x-ray results.

This client, like so many others, was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, and that can feel terrifying.

Any kind of diagnosis from a test can feel overwhelming. Many of my clients find that a diagnosis can send them into a spiral where they feel that they are destined for a life of pain and discomfort. But the reality is a diagnosis is just that. It is a word we use to describe something we see. It may aid us in helping guide treatment. It may give us indications of what perhaps could happen to that person in the future. However, it's no more predictive of health than the weather forecast is of what's actually going on outside.

So when you get a diagnosis that you really weren't expecting, the first thing I want you to do is do as much research as you feel comfortable doing. Ask questions. Talk to other people. Find a healthcare professional who can help you navigate. But remember, you are in fact a person. That diagnosis is simply a label. It is a description of a small factor of your life. It doesn't tell me or any other health care professional, anything about who you are, what's important to you, what you'd like to do, what your favorite color is, what your long term goals for life are.

Sometimes a diagnosis can mean those things have to change. We have to look at life from a slightly different perspective. Does it mean we have to sit down and do nothing? Absolutely not. In fact, in my experience many people once given a diagnosis feel reassured that their pain is in fact real and they can then move onto working towards reaching their own goals.

So my question to you is, are you going to let your diagnosis define your life, or are you going to define what your life means to you?

Nicola Robertson

Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist