Client Profile: Brian

"Part of the reason my surgery and recovery were such a success is due to how Pilates prepared my body."

When Brian, 24 years old, first walked into our studio back in January of 2012, he walked in with no flexibility and severe back pain. He had a herniated disc bulging on the left side of his spine sending constant pain through his left hip and down his leg.  He went from being very active to practically not exercising at all. His movements were limited and his flexibility was lacking, but he knew he needed to do something. He needed to gain flexibility and also to build core strength to help potentially relieve his back. 

His first classes were at a very slow pace with only the safest exercises included. If this meant we could only work for a half an hour instead of the full hour, then we were prepared. It wasn't about pushing him past limits. We wanted to be sure that we were helping him build the core strength and body flexibility that he came in looking for in a very safe, yet effective way. Before long this extra caution was no longer needed. Although he was still limited from a lack of flexibility, it was no time at all before he was doing a full range of exercises and we started seeing incredible changes in his flexibility. This was before his surgery! After his microdiscectomy, he came back quickly and he came back strong! He has only continued to grow stronger and more flexible since then, and has grown into one of our strongest clients.

So without further adieu, here is Brian!

1. When did your back pain begin?
My back pain officially began back in the Spring of '07 during high school baseball season. The severe pain didn't begin until August of 2011.

2. What was your fitness routine prior to your pain?
I was very active prior to the onset of severe pain. Working out 5-6 times per week along with golf, soccer, and softball mixed in between. My workouts consisted mainly of running/biking along with crossfit/circuit type exercises either using body weight or light weights

3. How did your back pain affect your fitness routine? How did you adjust your exercise?
Before the severe pain started, I was physically able to do whatever I wanted. There were times when the pain would increase after working out but it was always manageable and never kept me from continuing my workouts as planned.

When the severe pain began in Aug '11, my fitness routine pretty much came to a screeching halt. I tried to keep up with my running, but each time I finished a run it seemed like the pain would get worse. I quickly began rehab to help ease the pain while attempting to strengthen that area of my back. The rehab would help ease the pain for 15 minutes to an hour, but never for any length of time longer than that. Around the beginning of October of that year, I completely shut down all exercise besides what I would do in therapy a couple times per week.

4. Why did you decide to begin taking Pilates? What did you hope to gain from the classes?
Well, after going from being active every day to doing absolutely nothing but laying around, I kind of started losing my mind. My Mother had been doing Pilates for a while and even had me try it a few times in high school. That is where I was first introduced to it. When I was trying to decide on types of exercise I could participate in without damaging my back any further, Pilates and yoga were the first to come to mind. When I moved to Cincinnati, I remember Kevin mentioning that Morgan was in the process of training to become a Pilates instructor along with her Mom. Looking back, it's kind of crazy how it all fell into place so perfectly.

What did I hope to gain? Well, to be honest, the ability to bend down and put my socks on! Seems crazy, but it was the little things that really bothered me about my back situation. So flexibility was what I had hoped to gain the most. The core strength came to a close second. Sitting at a desk all day was miserable and I knew I needed to strengthen my core to help with posture and in the long run, take a lot of pressure off my lower back. So Pilates was the perfect fit for my needs!

5. Did you notice a difference in your back with Pilates?
Yes, I not only noticed a big difference with my back but I noticed a big difference with how my whole body felt from Pilates. It was amazing how great my body felt after each class causing me to quickly become addicted.

6. Did Pilates help you in any way with your surgery?
Even though my surgery was inevitable, Pilates was a major help in preparation. We knew how much of a toll surgery would take on my body so our goal was to strengthen my core has much as possibly before my 4/11/12 surgery date and impending recovery. Part of the reason my surgery and recovery were such a success is due to how Pilates prepared my body.

7. How would you describe your recovery from surgery?
My recovery was anything but pleasant. I began a walking program the day after surgery increasing distance/time depending on how my body was feeling. After a month of walking, I was able to begin strength exercises on a Swiss ball. Let's just say I wasn't the biggest fan of the Swiss ball rehab. In my mind I knew how much Pilates helped me before my surgery so I knew it would be the perfect way to rehab my back along with the rest of my core and body. So June 13, 2012 about 2 months exactly after my surgery, I was back in the Pilates studio. It was amazing. Since Pilates doesn't just focus solely on the area of pain, I was able to do plenty of exercises while keeping the pressure off of my lower back. Before long, I considered Pilates as my rehab.

8. How would you imagine your surgery and recovery would have gone without Pilates?
This question is kind of hard for me to answer because I simply cannot imagine how things would have gone without Pilates. I'm not sure how my body would have healed, but there's no way I would have recovered as quickly or as safely. I definitely would have pushed myself into the gym performing exercises that put a lot of stress on my back. Pilates has given me a whole new perspective on using my core to support all movements from the gym to every day life.

9. Why did you decide to continue taking private Pilates classes three times a week once you fully recovered from surgery?
Addiction. Maintenance. Fun. After my surgery, I realized that I needed to adopt a healthier lifestyle where the main focus was preventive maintenance for my back. How was I going to accomplish this goal? Step 1 Pilates. Since I wasn't able to do much else after surgery, I started taking Pilates three times a week to replace my usual workouts. Pilates is now considered my main workout supplemented by lifting weights at the gym to build strength around my core. Step 2 Diet. After discussions with doctors and others who have had similar surgeries, eating healthier was always one of the main points for preventing another surgery. I went from a chicken nugget and fry diet to a more plant based veggy diet and haven't looked back since. Step 3 Stretching. During all of my doctor/therapy/chiropractor appointments, flexibility was brought up and laughed at every time. Pilates essentially unlocked my flexibility and now I make it a point to stretch for at least 30-45 minutes every day.

I slowly worked on these 3 steps since my surgery and it has been about 4 months since I've been serious about it all. It's hard for me to explain how much better I've felt these last few months but I couldn't imagine dealing with my surgery without these changes. I owe it all to Pilates. The new diet and stretching help a great amount, but Pilates has truly changed my life for the better.