Have you ever noticed how frequently things occur in a series? One week, it seems like you see nothing but patients with right shoulder disorders, and the next week there’s a glut of patients with pain in their lumbar spines. The other morning, it was my turn to treat a rush of left knees — three patients with knee replacements and three with patellofemoral syndrome; it’s all very strange.
Strange experiences seem to center around the dreaded Rule of Three: Few therapists who have worked in geriatric rehabilitation are ignorant of the number of times three patients in a row will pass away before the census stabilizes again. Some people say that the number three has magical properties, with classical examples including the states of awareness (conscious, subconscious, and unconscious mind), the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost), and the three inalienable rights listed in the Declaration of Independence (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness). In medicine, we even have the “unhappy triad” of knee injury (ACL tear, MCL tear, and meniscal tear).
What does it mean? I’m really not sure. All I know is that everywhere I look, I see trilogies in our speech patterns, life events, and writings — it seems awkward to make a list using only two or four items, let alone a title (thus, Today in PT?) Come to think of it, I even used the Rule of Three when naming my book, Naked Elbows: A Physical Therapist's Reflections on Patient Care, Intuition, and Healing.
Have you, your family members, or your patients had any interesting or strange Rule of Three experiences? I’m sure you have. As they say, three’s a charm.
Anne Ahlman, MPT
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