Overcoming Low Back Pain – Steve Z. our June 2017 Patient of the Month
A History of Low Back Pain and Problems.
Steve is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist who owns Olympia Fitness and Performance. Steve had a long history of back problems and injured his low back while attempting a new deadlift technique. At first he thought it was a pulled muscle that would heal over time as it always had in the past, and he tried to stretch it on his own. His condition was compounded by the fact that he was also training to run a 10 mile road race, The Blessing of the Fleet, and after each training run it became progressively worse. This unique set of circumstances resulted in exacerbation of his symptoms to the point it became difficult for him to perform his occupational duties. At that point he realized it was time for him to get some help and sought out the services provided at our office. He was set up for an evaluation with our highly trained and professional therapist, Fernando (Freddy) Pinhancos, MSPT.
Finding the Root Cause
After a thorough evaluation with Freddy, it was determined that Steve was suffering from Low Back Pain and sciatica associated with potential lumbar disc herniation. Steve and Freddy began a journey to first eliminate the pain in his leg and bring it into his low back (a term we refer to a centralization) utilizing well known McKenzie principles for the treatment of lumbar disc protrusions. At one point his progression slowed and it was decided that Steve see a specialist for more evaluative studies (MRI). The MRI concluded that he did have a disc problem but the specialist felt that continuing PT was the best course of action. After several more months of intensive PT with Freddy, the pain in Steve’s back was finally subsiding to the point that he could start to resume an active lifestyle! Freddy progressed Steve’s program emphasizing intensive core stabilization to the point where he was able to start lifting weights again and perform his job as a strength coach to the highest level once again!
Back to Health!
The following video is Steve performing Olympic lifts with 165 pounds pain free!
Steve is an inspiration to all of us and a great example of what hard work and perseverance leads to. Freddy should also be recognized for the tireless hours of manual therapy, patient education, and exercise prescription that he put into the rehab of Steve’s low back.
Steve had this to say about Freddy and his experience at Specialized Orthopedic Physical Therapy:
“Freddy’s knowledge of my situation was spot on right from the start. Even before the MRI Freddy knew what the problem was and how to attack it. I was also receiving treatment at a chiropractor at the time, but ceased that when I realized how much more invested in my health Freddy was. Each session included a discussion about the techniques that we used during the previous session and a reflection of how those techniques affected me. Freddy was extremely thorough on every visit and it showed in the progress that we made. It was great to see someone who genuinely cared to see their patient get better as much as Freddy did. I can’t thank him enough for getting me back to 100%!”
