About three years ago, I was involved in an accident at work.
I am a roofing contractor and fell off some scaffolding onto my back.
I ended up with broken bones and actually needed surgery. I went through several months of physical rehabilitation. I took advantage of every medical process my insurance would cover. At the end of it, I still suffered extreme pain. I was unable to lay flat in my bed at night and was forced to sleep in a recliner. There was no way I could return to work. I struggled to carry anything heavy and even had difficulty tying my shoes. I had once been an avid runner and golfer and couldn’t participate in either of those activities. Along with constant aches, pains and stiffness, I had no range of motion. I assumed that this would be something I’d deal with my whole life, and I became depressed. My wife finally signed me up with a personal trainer. I had no faith that a personal trainer would be able to do anything but cause me more discomfort and discouragement. Instead, my sessions with the personal trainer completely transformed my life. For the first meeting, we simply discussed my physical issues and goals. She then began with very gentle stretches and a lengthy warm up routine. I worked with extremely light weights and attempted static holds using my own body weight. I quickly noticed an increase in strength and flexibility as well as a decrease in the level of pain. Although it was a slow process, I am nearly back to 100% and have returned to my job.