Physical therapy, trust, and conversations during the COVID-19 pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic undeniably caused a shift in lifestyles, many were uprooted from their regular routines and support systems. Stay-at-home orders and online distance learning drove a change in my lifestyle that had turned me into a 'sedentary scholar,' eventually causing a lumbar strain. Initially hesitant to attend physical therapy and deal with more medical professionals who made me feel alienated, I found that establishing effective, dialogic communication with my physical therapist provided an avenue not only to achieve medical objectives, but to establish trust and human connection. I then realized that my back pain was symptomatic of a greater issue: isolation due to COVID-19 lockdown protocols. Thus, my experience with physical therapy was not simply therapy for lumbar strain, but became therapy for human connection and reintegration in a socially-distant COVID-19 world.