Hi! I’m Christa D. As a fitness professional with decades of experience helping others achieve their health and wellness goals, some of my favorite sayings were “no pain, no gain” and “if it doesn’t hurt you, it doesn’t change you.” I honestly thought I had all the answers, but I was wrong. Ultimately, that mindset is what caused me to hit rock bottom because I had developed a painful back injury.
I Shouldn’t Have Ignored the Signs
It all changed one day when I was out for a casual run, just about a week after I had completed my first half marathon. I felt a pain in my right glute, but ignored it. Over the next few months, I knew something wasn’t right, but denial kept telling me otherwise – I concluded it was either my piriformis, a knot, muscle tightness, even routine hip pain…never in a million years would I have suspected it was my sciatic nerve “alerting me” that I had the makings of a very serious issue with my back erupting to the surface.
I popped ibuprofen, did yoga (hot vinyasa yoga of course, because that’s what all the fitness type A’s do when they are “taking it easy”), foam rolled, and tried to ignore the pit in my stomach that something just wasn’t right. I didn’t have the time or ego to stop – after all, I had workouts to do, fitness goals to achieve, clients to help, and a bathroom scale that taunted me daily.
I Finally Hit Rock Bottom
Fast-forward to a few months later after feeling that first fated “tinge” of pain in my right glute. I woke up and my body’s structure had collapsed. I couldn’t walk, stand, or even get myself dressed or to the bathroom.
Crying on my bedroom floor for hours, all I can remember were muscle spasms and intense, indescribable pain – pain that to this day, gives me feelings of PTSD when I talk about it – pain that was so severe, it made me question if I ever would be able to move again. The pain was so intense it halted my existence. Whether I had time to stop or not, I was at the point where I had no choice. This was my rock bottom. And sadly, it was all my fault.
This was the start of what would be over a year of continuous struggle, tears, and frustration, but I ultimately found – and wholeheartedly believe in – the path that I chose to lead me out of the darkness and heal my body from the inside out. Was it easy? No. But was it worth it? Absolutely.
Finding the Source of the Problem
After consulting with numerous healthcare professionals who didn’t have any real solutions for me other than cortisone shots, prescriptions, and potential surgery, I knew there had to be another way. I finally sought out solutions that addressed the root cause of my back issues – not just treating symptoms with “band-aids”, but actually fixing what was wrong so I could eliminate this problem for good, and return to my healthy, active, abundant life.
How did I do this? I had to ignore the chatter and forget about what people conventionally accepted as their own paths. Getting surgery, popping pills, taking shots, and even going to physical therapy weren’t the answers for me. I knew I had to rebuild the structure of my body in a healthy way. Instead of an orthopedic, I turned to a chiropractor to fix the misalignments in my spine. Instead of taking medication and shots to “mask” the pain, I let myself rest and used it as an opportunity to strengthen my mental and spiritual well-being. And instead of physical therapy, I relied on Pilates to strengthen my core, correct my posture, and fix muscle imbalances.
I Am Now Stronger Than Ever!
It’s true! I am fully recovered and stronger than I’ve ever been. One of the key lessons I learned is the human body has a remarkable ability to heal on its own and we have more control over our back health than we may think. With the help of a fantastic healing team (and my own stubborn persistence!) I learned how to move, live, and exercise in a way to permanently – and naturally – overcome chronic back pain.
My mission is to help you learn how to be kind to your back while maintaining an active lifestyle.
I hope you will utilize the tools, resources, and information on this site to empower you to take responsibility for your own health and live the healthy, active, and abundant life you dream of and deserve.