Living a healthy life is very important to me and my family, so we occupy our time with skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer, and road and mountain biking to fill the gaps. I began my career in endurance sports in college as a varsity rower for the Western Washington Crew team. Three years of 6 day-a-week workouts consisting of running, weights and rowing builds incredible stamina. Translati
ng that into other sports such as cycling, running and skiing has made for incredible sporting experiences. It has allowed me to complete many goals, from the challenge of being a high level certified ski instructor to competing in local cycling races. Sometimes, pushing yourself athletically has a price. For me, it was many years of “unidentifiable” low back pain. The left side of my lower back would always be tight, no matter what the treatment. Eventually, on a wonderful day chasing friends through the powder and trees, a hard compression began to unlock the problems of my low back. I found chiropractic before the big incident, and it managed my pain well, alleviated muscle spasm and kept me going. Through the next year, exercises, rehabilitation, and chiropractic care allowed me to live with and manage my low back injury. Unfortunately, the next ski season pushed my back too far. Another year of suffering led me to the operating table to reduce a ruptured lumbar disk and the loss of function to my left leg. Almost three years to the date, I re-injured my back and had to have the same surgery again for the same problem. What I have learned from this experience is invaluable to you as a patient, and invaluable to me as a doctor. I truly know what it is to suffer through nights of leg and back pain, hours of being awake with nothing to do but hurt. I also know what it takes to get through it, how to get healthy and make is so that it won’t happen to you as bad as it did to me. Now, I enjoy most activities with freedom, but always with awareness of my low back. I can mountain bike on Galbraith for hours at a time, ski powder and steeps, go hiking in the beautiful North Cascades and play with my kids with little concern.
