Dennis’s Story
After more than five years of living with back pain, Dennis was referred to an Accredited Exercise Physiologist through a friend.
Pain was dominating his life. He was having frequent episodes of 8 out of 10 pain in his lower back and found himself limiting his daily activity for fear of causing further injury or pain.
“When I first started I had doubts about where it was going. And I guess because I was so stiff and tight, those first sessions were a bit difficult. But with the recommendation of the Exercise Physiologist and knowing that the research has shown that pain can be reduced, especially for people like me with the chronic back pain, that gave me some sort of incentive to continue,” says Dennis.
Listen as Dennis tells his story of how exercise has given him a better quality of life with reduced pain.
Working with an Accredited Exercise Physiologist
Dr John Booth, Accredited Exercise Physiologist at RehWork Rehabilitation and Consultancy started working with Dennis to develop a safe exercise treatment for his back pain.
Exercise physiologists are trained in exercise prescription for a range of chronic conditions and help you plan your road to recovery.
John reassured Dennis that pain with exercise and movement doesn’t mean you’re doing harm – it’s safe and normal to feel some pain as you become more active.
“I’ve gone through the medication side of things years ago and I’ve also tried doing a bit of exercise too. But the way it’s done here is it’s more controlled. I’m able to build up slowly. And to me, the exercise is really beneficial in the sense that you’re not relying upon other means of less pain, you can actually manage and control your pain by the exercise that you do. I can rely upon stretching and exercising to be able to help with the pain,” says Dennis.
“And just the encouragement I get when I come as well. If I have any issues, if I’ve over strained through the week doing a lot of gardening or I’ve had a lot of tightness or nerve issue I can ask to work out some stretches or reduce some exercise over that period.
That’s really invaluable to be able to have that so you can manage that pain a lot better. It’s not just you’re guessing, it’s getting somebody who has vast experience in that area,” continues Dennis.
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Dennis’s Program
Dennis’s program involved education about pain and the role of exercise in his recovery and developing active self-management strategies. His graded exercise program involved a combination of strengthening, aerobic and flexibility training. He was also frequently reassured of his safety in exercising.
“When I first started I had doubts about where it was going. And I guess because I was so stiff and tight those first sessions were a bit difficult. But with the recommendation of the exercise physiologist and knowing that the research has shown that pain can be reduced especially for people like me with the chronic back pain, that gave me some sort of incentive to continue on,” says Dennis.
Dennis’s Results
Dennis has been exercising with the guidance of an Accredited Exercise Physiologist for three years. He is now mostly pain free! He is less focused on the pain and able to manage his normal daily recreation and work activities.
He has no restrictions to trunk movements or pain during movement. His walking tolerance is now unlimited, compared to 20-30 minutes before treatment, and he is capable of lifting floor to overhead, compared to no lifting before treatment.
“I’ve been getting stronger, my core is better, my posture is improving and all that actually helps reduce the pain through my back,” says Dennis.
“It’s given me a better quality of life. I’ve got reduced pain and more mobility. I’m able to move without experiencing the amount of pain I had before,” says Dennis.
I can over extend a bit too now without any major issues. I am able to do things that I couldn’t do before. I’m a bit more resilient to the world, I seem to recover better after doing some heavy work at home, gardening or anything like that. I’m experiencing less pain afterwards,” continues Dennis.
Apart from physical results, Dennis has also noticed a change in his mental health too.
“It’s given me a sense of feeling holistically better. In the sense, it’s not just movement, my mind is in a better place too,” says Dennis.
He is also relieved that he isn’t dependent on medication to live his life.
“To me, the exercise is better than having to take medication. It’s better for me, healthier for me to exercise and not over rely upon medication,” continues Dennis.
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