I’d like to welcome the surge of new readers to my blog over the past month.  I appreciate everyone who has stopped by to read on or more entry.  Daily traffic continues to grow and is at an all-time high.  With that said, I thought it may be helpful to write a recap to bring new visitors up to speed.

Last May, my doctors told me injuries sustained in a car wreck were permanent.  Surgery was a recommended option, but the term “maximum medical improvement” was expressed by two doctors.  There wasn’t anything else left to try.

I was struck by a drunk driver in January 2018.  The car accident injured 7 different discs within my spine and left me with spinal stenosis.  It also left me with a concussion and a few other sore spots.  Years before the wreck, I transitioned from couch potato to marathoner.  I was motivated in 2022 to lose weight, so I began to change my eating habits and began working out.  I quickly went from not being able to run to the mailbox to running 30 miles a week while losing 70+ pounds.  I completed in a half marathon within a year.  I completed my first full marathon within 2 years and eventually dropped 92 pounds total.  I began a daily workout streak in 2016 that concluded at 506 day after the accident.

My initial recovery diagnosis was 3-4 months.  My doctor sent me for an MRI after month 4 which revealed more spine damage than originally thought.  My lower back took the worst of it, but I also suffered from daily neck and shoulder pain.  I would visit the doctor 145 times before finding out the injuries were permanent.  I tried everything too:  chiropractor, physical therapy, epidural shots, 3 different mattresses.  I racked up $45k in expenses.  Instead of agreeing to surgery, I decided to craft up my own recovery plan, consisting of 3 key elements.

Physical Therapy:  I wrote an article about my physical therapist a few months ago. He showed me areas of my body needing strengthening to feel better.  He gave me workouts for those areas which focused on hamstrings, glutes, abs and quads.  This plan would strengthen my core and posterior chain.  I’ve been working through these exercises since then while adding in additional core building movements.

DDP Yoga:  I experimented with DDP Yoga in years past to compliment by running routine.  I didn’t stick with it for a very long time but noticed the benefits.  My doctor recommended I stay away from any yoga in the early days of my injury.  I noticed similarities between physical therapy and my past experience with DDP Yoga.  DDP Yoga has been used to help thousands of people recover from injuries and I believed it would truly help me.  DDP Yoga has been part of my weekly routine for the past 18 months—I generally fit in 4-5 workouts per week.

Cryotherapy:  Cryotherapy involves jumping half naked into a nitrogen cooled chamber for 3 minutes.  The chamber is cooled down somewhere between -120 to -240 degrees.  The cold temperature forces my body into a fight or flight mode.  Blood from my extremities reoxygenates by rushing to my core to protect my organs.  This process reduces inflammation and speeds up the recovery process.  Cryotherapy reduced my daily pain while allowing me work workout again.

I began to execute my plan last summer and tracked my progress each day.  I had specific goals around hours of DDP yoga, rehab and core work and set running goals as well.  As time went on, I began to feel better.  I stuck with it while writing this blog.  Within 14 months of my plan, I felt 100% recovered.  Without surgery.

I set goals beyond recovery.  Some of those include running in an ultra-marathon, qualifying for the Boston Marathon before turning 50 and completing a 1,000 day workout streak.  I’m currently on day 377 of my streak and will compete in my first ultramarathon this weekend.

I plan to continue to write about my recovery and fitness adventures on this blog as well as share experiences around weight loss.  Not only did I lose 92 pounds, but I’ve been able to keep the weight off for almost a decade.

I am also pursuing a DDP Yoga instructors’ certification.  I will have this completed in the next few months and will begin teaching DDP Yoga classes in the Wichita area.

Thanks for stopping by, much more to come.