Have you ever felt that your life was over? The life you loved, cherished, and had dreamt about...just blasted into a million fragments and scattered in the wind? It happened to me one winter's day. I was divorced with a nine year old son. We had been through some challenging times, emotionally and financially. But everything, finally, was coming up roses. I had landed a job at a Fortune 500 up and coming small company. A few weeks before I landed the job, as a hobby, I had signed up for a computer repair course. It, too, was going wonderfully and was a super outlet. Without the financial stress hanging over me, my son and my relationship began to flourish.
We experienced one of the best Christmases that we had ever had together in 1997. But just a few weeks later, my life took a disastrous turn. Walking out of my computer class one night, one of my fellow classmates, a 300 plus pound rugby player, unthinkingly picked me up (as rugby players do to fellow teammates), and before I could holler from the pain caused by his two powerful fists being thrust into my spine, he knocked the wind completely out of me. I was left with a spinal cord contusion and spent the next year in bed. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. It felt as though 150 volts of electric current were being shot down my legs--the pain of childbirth paled in comparison. Because of the excruciating pain, for the first two weeks I wasn't able to eat and lost approximately 12 pounds. After that, each day was a sickening blur of pain and tears. My father, thankfully, stepped in and took over the care of my son. (My mom had passed away five years before.)
The days endlessly dragged, one meshing into the next. And, with every passing moment, I grew into deeper despair and depression. Suicidal thoughts crossed my mind. I didn't want to die; I loved my son and had loved my life, but I so desperately wanted a reprieve from the pain, I was considering all my options.
At times, I could venture out of bed for brief periods. It was excruciating to move, but I did manage to get out and see doctors. At 33 years old, I was told that mine would be a life of endless, relentless pain.
Yet after about six months of lying in bed crying, something in me shifted. My dark, ominous depression grew into anger. I knew I wasn't the only one suffering with chronic pain. One out of three Americans live in constant pain. I made a pledge to find an answer. And, I made a covenant that if I did find a solution, I'd come back to help others. I literally went on a crusade reading close to 200 books and articles on the back, joints, arthritis, and on health in general. I also picked up the phone and interviewed over 300 physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners.
One day it hit me; I had a major epiphany! I realized that the majority of the medical community was missing the real cause and, for that reason, the simple cure of almost every single musculoskeletal ailment (back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, arthritis, etc.).
A major clue came from the numerous research studies I examined that illustrated that there was basically no correlation between spinal abnormalities and pain. For instance, at George WA University 67 people, who never had back pain, were given MRI's of their spines. Nearly half of these people had a bulging disc, several had herniated discs, many had arthritis, etc. Yet, these people were pain free.
I realized that, in virtually every case, all musculoskeletal conditions (carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, hammertoes, arthritis, etc.) are simply caused by incessantly contracted muscle tissue.
Our bodies are almost 70% muscle. And before spending that year in bed, I had suffered on and off with back pain for over 20 years. Besides receiving a diagnosis of osteoarthritis, I was continuously told by a physical therapist, who was supposedly a
back specialist, that my back problem was caused by weak muscles. Yet, I had been a gymnast for numerous years (one of the most physically demanding and strength requiring sports). I had muscle on muscle.
Think about some things:
1. Who gets carpal tunnel syndrome?
2. Who gets shin splints?
3. Who gets golfer's elbow?
4. Who gets tennis elbow?
Virtually all of those who suffer with musculoskeletal problems have a history of actively using the part of the body that is causing the pain!
So, what goes wrong? The muscle bellies (the part of the muscle that contracts) tighten due to injury, repetitive use and even from emotional stress. Tight muscle bellies pull on their tendinous attachments (tendons are the ends of the muscles that attach to the bones) causing inflammation, restriction and pain. It is imperative to understand that muscles
can remain chronically and habitually contracted long after the stressor is gone. Chronically contracted muscle bellies continue to pull on their tendinous attachments causing not only inflammation and restriction of mobility, but calcium build-up (also
known as bone spurs), scar tissue, adhesions and degenerative changes to bone and cartilage itself.
Because blood vessels are constricted and nerves are compressed in shortened, tight muscles, strange and severe symptoms can occur. These symptoms include tingling, burning, numbness and more. Eventually, the syndromes mentioned previously (arthritis, back pain, etc.) begin to occur. But the problem doesn't lie within the tendons, the ligaments, the nerves, the discs or the bones. The problem lies within the muscle.
So what is the solution? People merely need to lengthen and loosen the short and tight
muscle fibers.
It's been nine years since my injury. I'm now a therapist and a self-published author (Back Pain Breakthrough and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Breakthrough). I've had the good fortune to be able to touch lives in ways that make my heart sing. I've had people come for treatment from as far away as Florida (I'm in Los Angeles). People come to see me: some sobbing and depressed, some even suicidal, because of their relentless pain. Some people have serious ailments like severe disk herniations and arthritic knees that doctors say need replacing. Yet I have an unbelievable success rate.
During that year in bed, I was blessed and fortunate enough to literally find the cause and solution to many ailments that plague our society--and I want to tell the world. My goal is Oprah! And, the beauty of it is that most people don't even need me or any other therapist. In my books and talks I give, I teach people how truly simple, in almost all cases, it is to heal their own bodies. The message that I so desperately want to convey to the public is that, in almost every single case, there is a simple, non-invasive answer to their musculoskeletal ailments.
I know I've nailed the cause and solution because presently I share an office, but I'm contemplating opening up my own. If I do, I'll be able to offer my clients money back guarantees for everything from back pain, to arthritis, to carpal tunnel syndrome, to foot problems (like hammertoes and plantar fasciitis), and for many other ailments.
Little did I know that cold wintry day, nine years ago, when I thought my life was over, it was merely in a metamorphic state. Out of a cocoon of unimaginable pain, I am able to painlessly spread my wings, embracing others--helping them lead pain free lives.
Copyright © 2007 by Sue Crossen. All Rights Reserved.
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