He didn’t come in talking about golf.
He came in because his shoulder had stopped moving the way it used to. His range of motion was nearly gone, and it was starting to affect the simple, everyday parts of his life. The things most of us don’t think twice about had become frustrating, limited, and heavy. As we talked, he shared more of his story. He had been living with a condition that, over time, had taken strength and reliability away from his body. Movement wasn’t something he could trust anymore. It wasn’t just physical… it was uncertain.
Somewhere in that conversation, he mentioned that he hadn’t been able to swing a golf club in three years. Not because he didn’t want to, but because his body wouldn’t let him.
That stayed with me.
I chose an acupuncture point I’ve come to deeply respect for shoulder pain and restricted movement. What I love about it is that it’s nowhere near the shoulder. It lives down the leg. There’s something quite powerful about that. How our bodies connect in ways we don’t always expect is so fascinating!
And so, we began. I placed the needle and gave him a moment to settle. Then I asked him to move his arm. Slowly, carefully almost cautiously at first. And right there, in real time, we both saw it. The shift! A little more range of motion. A little less resistance. A small opening where there hadn’t been one before. But it wasn’t dramatic, but it also was undeniable. One week later, he told me something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. He picked up a golf club. Not with expectation, just curiosity. And he swung it. For the first time in three years! There are moments in practice that stay with you. Not because they’re loud or clinical or even fully explainable, but because of what they mean to the person sitting in front of you.
This was one of those moments.
Because it was never just about the shoulder. It was about getting a piece of his life back. Working with specific conditions has taught me that progress doesn’t always have to be big to be meaningful. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s subtle. Sometimes it’s just enough to remind someone that their body is still capable of more than they thought. And sometimes… it looks like swinging a golf club again.
Dr. Nicole Schmidt
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