20 Sep From Bed Rest To Bicycles, Astym Helped Give Me My Life Back
In January 2007, I was in a car accident that nearly took my life. I had a spiral fracture in my left femur, three pelvic fractures, five broken ribs, a punctured lung, Level 3 spleen injury, traumatic brain injury, and a blood infection. I was hospitalized for six weeks, went to a rehabilitation center, and received home health care and physical therapy when I went back home. I was 19 years old at the time of the accident.
I was doing very well until August of that year when I went back to college. There was constant pain in my left hip, knee, and down the side of my thigh. I could not walk without a cane. I went through another course of physical therapy to treat sciatica possibly caused by a herniated disc. It did not help much. I missed class often because it was too painful to get out of bed. My surgeon told me he did not know what was causing my pain and gave me a prescription for massage therapy. It helped, but the relief became more and more temporary. I also tried acupuncture, but the results did not last long.
I tolerated the pain for years. Most of my normal day to day activities were impacted. In late 2011, I decided to end my pain. I consulted a pain management specialist, a few orthopedic surgeons, and did several diagnostic tests. They showed evidence of atrophy, nerve damage, and scar tissue. I was then referred to Amy Goddard at Goddard Orthopedic & Sports Therapy for physical therapy and Astym.
My range of motion in my left leg was very limited. Immediately after my first Astym treatment, my range of motion improved 100%! I continued to see Amy Goddard and Dustin Montgomery and grew stronger every time. I no longer need my cane to walk, I can sit cross-legged, swim again, sit through lectures at school, walk my dog… the list goes on and on! And, for the first time in five years, I can jog again. I can finally say I have no more pain in my hip, knee, or thigh. I feel like I can live my life again! Pain won’t hold me back anymore!
Leah, Nurse
Carrollton, Texas
Clinic: Goddard Orthopedic & Sports Therapy
