Meet David.
After a lumbar spine injury.
When David was referred to Physical Therapy of Boulder, he had been in a boat crash that left him with a lumbar spine injury. He suffered not only from lower back pain but also numbness in his lower legs. The numbness was so bad that it caused him to fall and fracture one of his feet!
Following his foot fracture, David had his back imaged via MRI. What the doctors found was that several of his vertebrae in his lower back had been fractured during the accident and were not healing properly. In addition, the damage to his spine was causing his muscles to move incorrectly, which put pressure on the nerves in his back leading to his legs.
“When we met David, he was wearing a back brace to provide him with support and stability. Clearly, not even spinal fusion surgery was enough to fully correct the damage he had suffered in the crash. He was unable to sleep well due to his pain and anxiety about the injury. In addition to therapy, he was interested in learning of any other bracing systems for his lower back that we could recommend.”
He was convinced that he would never be able to go without a lower back brace again.
His goal: to be able to bike around Boulder without pain.
We worked with David three days a week for eight months to strengthen his back and core muscles, as well as increase his foot and hip strength. Our primary method was the Pilates Method, which challenged his strength and balance and increased his muscle flexibility.
We didn’t just talk to David about his physical injuries and working on how to resolve them, but also spent time talking about how his injuries affected his life, both mentally and physically. We discussed different ways to navigate his issues within his current health condition, and how to work progressively toward a freer and freer lifestyle.
The benefits of physical therapy began to show very quickly.
Within a few weeks, David reported that he was sleeping better and was more content with his daily activities. After a few sessions, David stopped wearing his lower back brace. He didn’t need it! His core muscles were already strong enough to hold him up throughout the day, without pain.
His progress not only helped him physically, but mentally. As he made progress, David’s anxiety about his ability to move decreased, along with his hesitation to return to the activities he loves—which is our number one goal for our patients.
Did David achieve his goal? He did!
He was soon riding his bike with minimal discomfort, not only throughout Boulder, but all over the surrounding area!
We truly enjoyed working with David and being a part of his success story!