Michele’s Story
Because I’m Worth It
Michele has always been an extremely active person. She usually biked or walked everywhere she went. But that never meant she never experienced pain. In fact, she jokes, she was “built crooked.”
Eight years ago, an incident while lifting a rowing boat left her in debilitating pain the next day. While a doctor gave her a muscle relaxer and sent her to physical therapy. Being told to take it easy and rely on pain medication to manage her pain wasn’t acceptable for someone who expected to remain active.
Real Results
After numerous treatment approaches over 7 years, Michele was finally introduced to the practice of physiatry, where the goal is to address the multiple contributors to pain while maximizing function, foster independence through education and improve a patient’s quality of life. She committed to putting in the work at iSpine Rehab Clinics to resolve her pain. The team helped her, and she was surprised how much Cognitive Behavioral Coaching, in addition to the back strengthening exercises, made a positive difference in her treatment.
Throughout her journey to get back into an active life, Michele learned that many practitioners are pain adverse; if her foot became numb during treatment, they’d stop treatment and send her home. Based on their reactions, Michele avoided any movement that increased her pain, which led to difficulty in meeting her treatment plans and overall goal to get better.
I felt like I was around my people at iSpine; people with complicated pain. Both patients and practitioners. You CAN work thru the pain. The team always met me where I was at and challenged me to learn what I needed to do to help myself. It was transformative.
Now I actively listen to my body and I’m not afraid of the pain. It’s telling me something, and I have the tools to stop what I’m doing and treat it. If I can inspire anyone to realize that you are worth it. It’s not easy. But it’s so worthwhile to put in the time and get better.
What’s Next for Michele?
“I got invited to snowshoe on a backpacking trip in the Rockies. Hiking in Turkey. Until I started at iSpine I’ve been saying no to these types of invitations. I trained for these activities and successfully completed them. When I finished an intense trip to the Rocky Mountains I decided my identity no longer has to be someone who is limited by chronic pain.”