My health insurance has $10,000 deductible. In 2008, I met my deductible.
I was an extremely healthy and health-conscious triathlete who got out of bed one morning and “threw my back out.†I had no history of back problems, other than the sciatic pain one should expect (so I thought) from spending so many hours on a bicycle. When the pain did not resolve after several weeks, I sought out the most well-respected back doctor I could find in our area. Following months of unsuccessful treatment for a cyst on my spine, it was recommended that I have a consultation with Bryan Fass.
The constant extreme pain, as well as not being able to exercise at all, made me irritable and depressed. I had lost all hope that I would ever be pain-free again, much less return to my athletic lifestyle, and I was willing to try anything. But what Bryan Fass told me during my evaluation just made sense. Bryan showed me, in very graphic and horrifying ways, how poorly my body was moving and why. He took the time to explain how the body should function, as well as how I had been compensating due to all the imbalances I had developed from my years of training thoughtlessly. It was no wonder my back had developed this lesion! So began my road to recovery, with little tiny baby steps.
My first training sessions with Bryan weren’t like any other training I had ever done. I didn’t sweat. I didn’t feel like I had burned calories. But it was challenging to get my body to do the movements required the correct way. I was given home assignments and did them religiously, because I was so ready to feel better.
At the end of one week – that was three sessions – I went to put my daughter to bed on Friday night, and I chased her up seven stairs to the landing. I stopped dead in my tracks. My back pain was insignificant, and I was running up stairs and laughing. I sat down on that landing and wept for the pure joy of feeling good again for the first time in over nine months and for the hope that I would someday return to a normal life.
I still have a cyst on my spine, but as long as I continue exercising with and doing the other things recommended by my trainers, my pain is non-existent. I am stronger than I have ever been, in a way that feels so good – no injuries or nagging pain anywhere. What’s more, if I ever do feel a “twinge,†I now have the knowledge and tools with which to eradicate it before it becomes another big problem. And I will be competing in three triathlons this season!
I have learned that back pain is not something that pretty much everyone has to deal with as they get older. There are things that you can do, with the help of these incredibly knowledgeable people, to move in ways that will be healthier for your spine. Whether you’re an athlete or not, your quality of life can be improved with less pain. I am proof. And it is not an exaggeration when I say thank you to Bryan for giving my life back to me. Peggy R.
“I recently retired early as a police officer from the Police Department after nearly 18 years. I reluctantly went out on disability because of ongoing back pain and damaged disc issues. I wasn’t a candidate for surgery and I was at the point where I was going to cause myself severe and permanent damage by continuing employment. I was also afraid my back would give out during a critical incident and it would cause someone else to get badly hurt or worse. I had gone through several sessions of physical therapy and chiropractic treatment over the years with very limited and temporary results. Then I met Bryan and began his program to see if he had a different approach…and boy did he ever!
I started on the basic exercise regimen with simple and effective exercises that I had never seen before. I immediately knew this would be different and better than anything else I had tried. Before I knew it my back was feeling great again…I wished I had known about these guys when I started having back trouble. I might have been able to finish out my career.I knew a lot fellow officers who had back problems. I firmly believe that this proactive approach could help many officers avoid the problems I went through.†Larry. M
I had heard about Bryan and how well he helped people like me recover
from back problems, but I had only a small glimmer of hope when I
hobbled into Precision Fitness. My muscle spams were so bad I couldn't
even do the simplest of exercises very well, but I had faith in Bryan
and I knew that he wouldn't let me hurt myself. I also knew that he was
my last chance before surgery. Basically Bryan slowly and precisely
rebuilt my muscle structure. Because of the pain and the structural
problems of my lower back I had actually stopped using my muscles
properly and had developed coping mechanisms to avoid pain. Those
changes that I had made unconsciously contributed to the problems and in
turn caused more pain. (I wonder why the traditional physical
therapists that I had worked with previously had never recognized these
patterns?)
My
path to recovery has been a steady process of strengthening my muscles
the proper way. I am still discovering what my body is capable of
doing, and I honestly and completely give all of the credit to Bryan.
He seems to intuitively understand my weaknesses and no one I have met
knows more about muscles and how they mechanically work. Based on my
latest MRI I have a long, long list of lumbar problems, but you would be
hard pressed to believe it based on the way that I look and feel.
Robin Cochran
“Because
of severe osteoporosis with multiple spinal fractures, unrelenting back
pain limited my ability to walk no more than ½ a block, and to stand
for no more than a minute or two. I became dependent on a scooter for mobility. Since
adopting Bryan's Back to Feeling Great program I am able to go about
activities of daily living comfortably and independently and can enjoy
normal mobility and activity without pain or the need for assistive
devices.†E. Greenwald, MD