In April of ’98 I was injured during Army physical training. Over the next 5 years, my injury gradually worsened with only occasional severe episodes but for the most part I was able to satisfy my Army requirements. In 2004 I deployed to Iraq and during this mission my back situation significantly deteriorated. For two years I tried to cope but found success increasingly more impossible until my quality of life became very low. I was experiencing intense burning type pain with periods of sharp stabbing pain with horrendous muscle spasms in my lower back that made standing upright impossible. I had severe discomfort in virtually every type of activity, from sitting to walking to simply standing up. Many nights the only way to get any rest was from lying on the floor.

Since even existing became extremely painful, I was very frustrated and not a very fun person to be around. My whole life was different. Everything I enjoyed, woodworking, basketball, golf, dancing with my wife, roughhousing with my kids, was almost completely out of the question. I found myself more and more withdrawn and constantly struggling with “poor-little-me” pity parties.

I had seen numerous military and VA doctors but since I didn’t have pain or tingling in my legs there was nothing other than prescribing muscle relaxers that they would do. I tried to perform limited and controlled strengthening exercises but they always caused periods of intense stabbing pain and muscle spasms. I lived on Aleve and Advil.

I heard about SpinalAid Centers of America’s Non Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy on the radio. After about a month I finally decided to make the call. Now the muscle spasms, intense burning pain and the stabbing pain are gone. I do continue to experience some pain but rarely is it even significant enough to cause discomfort, let alone have significant impact on my ability to stand, sit, walk, sleep or climb stairs. I have not had to take any pain medicine since my 14th visit. I have been able to accompany my wife on extended shopping trips for non-essentials and bounce around on the basketball court. I am continuing to slowly increase my activities and I am encouraged by the positive results so far. For the first time in probably 6 years I can bend over and touch my toes without buckling in pain. I can now look forward to dancing with my wife, wrestling with my kids, getting back on the golf course and quality time doing woodworking. But the biggest change is that I can live life without the impossible discomfort. I am having fun in life again!

To anyone hesitating to start Non Surgical Decompression I would say I too had serious concerns. I am still amazed that I went through with it and still pinch myself when I stop and think about how great it has worked for me. Even if I wouldn’t have had the success, going through with it was the only way I wouldn’t have wondered if it would have worked for me five years down the road. With an 86% success rate I had to try just for the chance to get my life back!