I was injured in July 2006 at Ft. Dix, New Jersey preparing for deployment to Iraq. We were qualifying with our rifles on three different ranges throughout the day and into very early the next morning. We wore our ballistic vests (50 pounds) and carried our weapons throughout the day as we moved from one range to another in a military vehicle. My injury may have been a result of the cumulative effect of all the standing up and laying down to fire my weapon repeatedly throughout the day and night, the weight of the ballistic vest pulling on my spine and the rough rides in the vehicle (with the force of the vest on my shoulders and neck). When I woke up a few hours after we completed the qualification, I was barely able to move and experiencing unbelievable pain in my neck and shoulder.

Following my injury, and prior to coming to UI Spine Center for rehabilitation, I received the following medical care: At Ft. Dix, I received physical therapy that focused on modalities; (heat, massage, nerve stimulation, ultra-sound). I traveled to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in order to have a pain management doctor review my case. I was provided medication and recommendations to continue physical therapy with the goal of getting into a work hardening program.

In October 2006, the Army transferred me to the Community Based Health Care Organization (CBHCO) so I could be at home and receive family support while I continued to work on my recovery. In January 2007, I attended physical therapy and was prescribed various medications to help with sleep, depression, anxiety, and pain. I had office visits with a neurosurgeon, neurologist, pain doctor, and my personal physician, I had two electromyograms and received 12 trigger point injections, with the total number of injections to date being approximately 20. But I still did not improve in my ability to function physically and to manage my pain in order to restore the quality of my life.

I dealt with chronic pain, depression, rejection, anger, frustration, and lack of sleep. My life revolved around attending doctor appointments and taking medication, and I felt that I was making others around me miserable. Although I was grateful to be home with my family, my quality of life was not good at all. Because of my injury, I was unable to perform tasks associated with the duties of a soldier and as a result, I had thoughts of not being a person capable of contributing anything in any way to my profession.

I am extremely thankful that my CBHCO case manager took the initiative to contact the UI Spine Center after I had not improved with my prior treatment options. Without her genuine concern for my well being, I don’t know where I would be today. I am so grateful to her for her commitment to the soldiers she serves and for pursuing quality medical treatment options for injured soldiers.

During the two-week UI Spine Rehabilitation Program, everything began to turn around for me. I finally got the help I needed and learned the skills necessary to get the quality of life back that I had before my injury.

First and foremost, the professional care I received was outstanding. The doctors, physical therapists, and entire spine team staff have been among the most professional and caring that I have ever met. What they do in very simple terms is care!  From the one-day evaluation to get into the program, throughout the entire two-week rehab program, I was impressed with the staff and the content of the rehabilitation program. They address both the physical and the psychological components of chronic pain.

They were interested in me and clearly were committed to helping me. The relaxation and coping skills/pain management portion of the program will help me for the remainder of my life, and for that, I am extremely grateful. The conditioning, physical therapy, functional restoration and the stretching programs were all great too. The classes on vocational exploration, nutrition, medication, and others were applicable to daily life and to restoring my quality of life. The time the doctors took to talk to us about chronic pain was important to each of us. All the tools that the UI Spine Center program provided to me are in my toolbox now, and are being used daily.

I have a much better outlook on life. My pain levels are down, I sleep better, I feel that I am back in control of my life and am more positive than I have been. I laugh and smile more now. I can see the light at the end of a tunnel that I could not see before. I don't have to take medication for the chronic pain any more because I have new methods to cope with and manage my pain. My overall quality of life at home is so much better than it was before starting the program. My personal goal for recovery is to continue to move forward with my life. Perhaps as a soldier, but if it is as a retired soldier and doing something else to serve others, then that is OK. The important thing for me is that my quality of life is far better than it was prior to the rehabilitation program.

I absolutely encourage anyone experiencing chronic spine pain to contact the UI Spine Center to seek help and get the tools you need to get your life back. This rehab program is something that the military should look to for any soldier with chronic back or neck pain who is returned home for medical care and assigned to CBHCO. It offers hope where once there was none. Although some things in my life are still difficult they are so much better. Because of this rehab program I have hope. Because of this program I have the means to cope with my pain in a way that improves the quality of my life. I now have the tools that I needed to help me get my life back on track!

More Success Stories