“Ride the wave”
Inside I was THINKING, “Ride the wave, are you freaking kidding me? Do you know how much pain I am in?” I was 23 at the time, and thought, if hurts this bad to sit, stand & basically stand up straight, how much worse is it going to get? A sudden onset of pain and one week turned into 6 years of daily excruciating low back pain.
My CT scan showed: BULGING discs in the lumbar spine, hypertrophied facet joints, ligamentum flavum, spinal STENOSIS (narrowing of the spinal canal) and a central disc HERNIATION at L5/S1.
My low back was a mess.
It took me several years to fully get what “ride the wave meant” and I am so thankful to the doctor that gave me those simple (yet VERY annoying at the time) words of advice.
The onset of low back pain began while I was studying as a Physiotherapy Assistant in 2000. I had been involved in a few minor car accidents but the pain did not start directly after those events. Like most back pain, it was a combination of poor posture, faulty body mechanics, and stress. I tried many different treatments and movement programs to deal my chronic low back pain. I began taking Pilates and decided not to be a chronic complainer. Instead, I decided to focus on finding exercises and movements that would improve my back injury. I worked as a Physiotherapy Assistant for 6 years and during that time I completed my Pilates Instructor certifications through STOTT PILATES in Toronto (Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, Barrels and Injuries and Special Populations). I knew I was not going to use the pain as an excuse not to live life. I knew I needed to find movements that would feel good on my back and allow me to stabilize & strengthen my spine and Pilates was all that and more for me. My true soul mate workout is Pilates and from that In Balance Pilates was born. I opened my studio in July of 2006 and have been riding the wave ever since.
I truly know that my life purpose is to help others get pain free with Pilates and exercise. To help others find movements that make their body feel good, tension free and allow them to focus on the good and not their deficits.
We all have a mess we that are cleaning up (personal, family, financial, health etc.). We all need to focus on being thankful for the MESSY lessons that we have been presented with. Be able to look back with a gratitude for these lessons and look forward with optimism. It helps to surround yourself with people that lift you up and are there to help you get back on your feet when you fall or get caught up in your mess.
This is your story – what is the best possible ending? Write your story with no regrets, no blame and look for those bright moments everywhere and in everyone.
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