Here's what happened when Brian put his trust in the team at Solon Spine and Wellness Center to get him back in the powerlifting game
By Nina Polien Light
Twelve years ago, Brian’s grit got him through an illness that caused spinal cord damage and forced him to relearn how to walk and talk. Two years later, the avid powerlifter was training for a national competition when he moved the wrong way and injured his back.
“I had two injuries at once that put pressure on my spinal cord,” he recalls. “The pain was so bad I could barely walk and had to sleep on the floor. It was tough. Weightlifting is my fun, my hobby, my life. It was literally the worst thing in the world for me.”
Brian longed to find relief and get back to training, but he had heard horror stories about back surgery and wanted to avoid going under the knife at all costs.
A gym buddy shared how he recovered from a debilitating back issue through a unique treatment offered by Allen Hoover, DC, at Solon Spine and Wellness Center. Brian decided to give it a try.
Non-surgical lumbar decompression is painless and noninvasive. Each session begins with hands-on release work to loosen spasms and maximize the effects of the treatment. Then, the patient spends about 30 minutes resting on a specialized table that creates somewhat of an anti-gravity environment in the spine. The table’s design utilizes the latest research to deliver a precisely calibrated amount of negative pressure directly to the damaged portion of the spine being treated.
In other words, non-surgical lumbar decompression treats the source of the pain (such as a bulging disc), rather than masking the resulting symptom (agony or decreased mobility). It is important to make this distinction because medications, injections, massages and even surgeries may address pain and make life bearable temporarily, but they do not alleviate the underlying injury. When the injury remains, so does the pain.
Candidates for the treatment, which has a success rate of more than 80 percent, often suffer from herniated or bulging lumbar discs, sciatica, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, facet syndrome (pain developing in the small joints between vertebrae) or failed back surgery.
Many patients consider non-surgical lumbar decompression after unsuccessfully trying medications, cortisone shots or physical therapy.
After reviewing MRIs and performing a detailed neurological and orthopedic examination, Dr. Hoover is upfront about a patient’s chances for success and only accept those who are good candidates for the treatment—like Brian.
After several weeks of treatments, Brian felt better. He continued to exercise, even while taking a break from competing. But the powerlifting bug beckoned.
“I started to lift again and decided, ‘Let’s go for 50 percent of one rep at my maximum just to feel a little weight and see how it goes,’” he recounts. “I started to feel good and got to the 50 percent mark when I felt a pop in my lower back and a shooting pain that took me to the floor.”
This time, he did not panic.
“I knew who to call,” he says. “I knew it would take some time, but I could get through this without surgery. Dr. Hoover recommended the decompression table program plus a couple of extra treatments because of the degree of my injury. I trusted the team.”
After the series of treatments, Brian is feeling like himself again. He schedules periodic treatments to maintain alignment, even when he is feeling well. Today, the 27-year-old, who has broken collegiate records and won state and national powerlifting competitions, works as a police officer and powerlifting trainer. At press time, he was preparing for an upcoming competition.
“What’s encouraging is Brian has confidence in himself again,” Dr. Hoover says.
“That confidence comes, in part, from his own previous success with our unique combination of decompression and hands-on care. Now, he is able to exercise, train for his powerlifting and work as a police officer without the what-if and fear factor of masking his symptoms with medications. He knows he has healed his injury.”
Sticking with the program over the course of several weeks is critical to success, the doctor adds.
“Brian wanted to heal the injury that was the source of his pain,” he says. “He honestly owes himself a pat on the back for being so consistent with his treatments.”
Solon Spine and Wellness Center is located at 6175 SOM Center Road at the corner of SOM Center Road and Solon Road. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Allen Hoover, call 440-941-9331. Visit SolonBackPain.com for more information.