Featured How to live like the experts

How to live like the experts: Rachel Davies

Rachel D
Written by Monica Matys

Ever wonder if your doctor or specialist follows their own advice? Sunnybrook experts get candid with the approaches they take in their personal lives.

Rachel Davies is an Occupational Therapist (OT) with Sunnybrook’s Holland Bone and Joint Program

What does your average day look like?

I work with injured workers to try and rehab them back to their goals. So what they want to be able to do at home, at work, and for fun. That could be shoveling gravel for their job or running outside for exercise. Every patient is different, but I spend about three months working with each one.

Have you ever had an injury that you’ve had to “OT” yourself through?

Yes, I had a back injury, a very large herniated disk that eventually needed surgery. The recovery was quite difficult. I definitely leaned into my occupational therapy knowledge to get myself back to doing the things I wanted to do.

Did your professional expertise make recovering from surgery easier or harder?

Before surgery, it made things harder because I kept thinking if I just push through, I’ll be ok. That’s because we tell most patients to keep active and moving, so I tried to keep coming in to work. On the subway ride in, I’d have to get off several times and lay down on the bench for a while. Once I arrived at work, I’d have to lay down between seeing patients. I didn’t want to do nothing and surrender to it, but with the extent of my injury, I should have just stopped. The day I got my MRI is the same day I had surgery.

After surgery, it was better because I knew I had to reintroduce tasks back into my life slowly and gradually and build myself back up, which is what I do with my patients. I put a walking App on my phone and one of my goals was to walk my kids to school. I always tried to increase my pace or time, setting small goals. Today, I’m pretty much able to do everything I want do.

Did you have another occupational therapist help you out?

I did have a physiotherapist, but for the OT portion, I came to Holland and made my own recovery program. I did my own therapy over the lunch hour when no one was here.

Were your colleagues cheering you on?

For sure!

How hard was it to take your own advice?

It can be really hard sometimes. I always tell my patients that it’s ok to ask for help, but that’s something I hate doing myself. Sometimes I had to lecture myself.

I also talk to all my patients about practicing gratitude. I had to change my own attitude from ‘I can’t do it’ to ‘I’m so grateful I can walk my kids to school and get dressed’. Sometimes I was grumpy and moody, but had to talk myself out of it.

How did the experience of being a patient change your work?

I can now speak very truthfully from experience to patients and give them more cheerleading than I used to be able to. I can tell them more confidently that they can do this because I did it too.

Are there techniques you use with patients that all of us could benefit from?

It’s important for all of us to stay active and make sure we are keeping our whole body strong and flexible. We also need to find things in life we enjoy.

What’s an activity you enjoy?

Riding my bike to and from work every day.

Is there something you see people doing that as an OT raises red flags?

Lifting with poor body mechanics, having poor posture and not moving. All of these things can cause potential problems in the future.

What are the best things people can do to prevent ever needing your services and expertise?

Keep your whole body strong, and switch up what you are doing. So if you sit at a desk, get up every 20 minutes and go to the photocopier or talk to a colleague. If you work in a factory, change the direction of your movement. Generally, try to have a tall chin, check posture and look into the distance. It’s best way to see the sunshine!

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About the author

Monica Matys

Monica Matys is a Communications Advisor at Sunnybrook.

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