Jacob Sonenshine

My periodic back tightness/spasms have been very difficult for me. The training, advice and analysis I get at HSS has been a huge boost both to my ability to deal with the flare-ups and to continue to be an athlete.

For starters, once in a while, I get a muscle spasm in my back because I have a herniated disc that causes the muscles around the disc to tighten up so as to protect the disc. It's an involuntary response to a condition that I've been told isn't actually a real problem. During spasms, it's hard to move, but just knowing that nothing in my back is horribly breaking apart - and knowing that I can still be an athlete - enables me to manage the pain on my own and feel free again. The best cure for the discomfort, I've been told, is movement; the "cure" is gentle movement after a few hours of initial rest, physical therapy and then eventually more intense movement. These things are true therapy. They make my back feel like it's being warmed up and loosened. Exercise gives me a healthy high.

In my most recent flare-up, which began in earnest in June 2022, the aftermath brought about strange sensations and tension that I had never felt before. I felt hesitant to move freely, though the tension is now easing as I calm my mind, recognize the root of the issue and take action.

Now, I am responsibly and gradually getting back to baseball and other athletic activities. I identify as an athlete, and the advice and training I've gotten at HSS helps me feel that way. It's important for my state of being, my emotional life, to feel like an athlete. It's what makes me happy and what gives me life.

I may need to tap into the PT exercises - and certainly the general systems of movement I've learned - throughout my life as a preventative and reactive tool. I do prefer to be proactive, but the next time I have a flare-up, I'll know what to do.

I look forward to giving positive updates to HSS on my life and my health over the years, and I highly recommend PT here for any ailments people have.