Hello, my name is Drew Drenth. I have been practicing as a licensed physical therapist for over six years since attaining my Master's degree. I have recently published a book titled Re-Thinking Pain. I provide a variety of services, which currently include presentations, workshops, and interviews. My goal is to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to improve your life and bodily experience.
I first became interested in pain in graduate school, as my wife was struggling with bouts of intense back pain. At times, her pain was so severe that she was confined to bed for nearly a week, wondering how she would make it to the bathroom! During that period, I accompanied her to many medical visits (neurologists, chiropractors, physical therapists, etc.) and watched her undergo a gamut of tests (MRIs, X-rays, etc.). Little benefit came from these work-ups and she apprehensively viewed her future with her “bad back.” In addition to my wife’s problems, I was experiencing muscle tension and discomfort in my neck and upper back, as well as ongoing nervousness and nervous habits.
In addition to our own health concerns, I became confused and frustrated with the inconsistent results I was witnessing in my clinical training. I wondered why some people recovered from painful conditions so quickly, while for others, nothing seemed to work. As is the case in many training situations, I received the standard consolation for mediocre outcomes. “Things will get better,” I was told, “as soon as you get more experience under your belt.” But as I carefully observed my instructors, I noticed that their patients did not always respond with consistency and predictability, even continuing to report pain and dysfunction after weeks of intensive treatment.
Since my years as a student, I have continued to wrestle with the complexities and intricacies of pain. In doing so, I came to recognize the need for a new paradigm, a new way of conceptualizing pain. Through extensive observation, study, and experimentation, it became clear to me that pain could not be accurately explained as a simple product of bodily damage or abnormalities. Instead, understanding pain often required a consideration of factors beyond human anatomy: things like stress, expectations, emotions, and tension.
Over the course of several years, we learned that my wife’s back pain episodes were typically preceded by periods of increasing pressure: final exams, wedding planning, work stresses, etc. In fact, her back, in many ways, acted as a pressure gauge. Though she never reported “feeling” stressed, we discovered that her back served as a powerful signal of internal overload. It was only through this realization that we came to truly understand and manage her back troubles.
For me, the more I began to explore my own bodily affairs—working with my breathing, observing my muscle tension, experimenting with different movements and postures—the more I realized that I could actually influence my bodily state, including my resting levels of tension. Doing so has allowed me to more effectively manage my stress and emotions, helping me maintain a calm mind and relaxed body even under stressful life circumstances.
"Re-thinking" pain has not only transformed our lives personally, but the lives of many others who have adopted this approach. Though certainly not the last word on pain, I am confident that my book and services can help you move in a better direction.
