Chronic Neck and Back Pain: My TruMove Experience

This post is sponsored by TruMove, however opinions belong to the writer.

The Problem

I’m sure many of you can relate to having way more back and neck aches and pains than you think you should. Isn’t it aggravating when it holds you back from normal life activities? A couple of years ago, things got even worse for me, and I was desperate to find a solution. 

Here’s the scene: A tired new mama, recently recovered from mono (WHO gets mono on maternity leave?!), with a newborn, a full time job, and a dissertation to write, frantically working to meet deadlines while struggling to make it day-to-day with breastfeeding and pumping.  After a few months of hunching over while writing in any spare time and breastfeeding on demand (and sometimes both at the same time) it’s no wonder intense back pain crept in. It was so bad that I would cry in pain at work and at the end of the work day, when I came home and had bottles to clean and research to do, all I could so was lay on the couch for awhile. Or do the work I needed to do anyway and just bite my lip through the pain. 

Solutions

Even though I am no longer breastfeeding (!) and the dissertation is long written (!!), I still struggle with the same back pain that often keeps me from living life to its fullest. I have tried different chiropractors, physical therapy, and massage therapy all of which had varying levels of success, but none of which satisfied me in terms of getting rid of this pain and back to my normal activities without pain.

Enter TruMove

Some of my friends say that the term dry needling sounds scary, but at this point I was ready and willing to try anything! As soon as I walked into TruMove and met my therapist, Ethan, I felt right at ease. He is super friendly and explained everything about the dry needling process.  He spent a lot of time getting to know me and the reasons why I was there. My first question, of course, was: What exactly is dry needling? 

Dry Needling

Ethan at TruMove doing dry needling magic.

First, I’ll address what you’re wondering: No, it is not super painful! It is, of course, not as comfortable as getting a massage. But I consider it a “good hurt” where it almost feels good because you can tell that the knots you have are f-i-n-a-l-l-y getting worked out, and a little pain is more than worth it! 

First, the therapist will work to find an active trigger point. These are essentially any knots you have and the specific root of the pain. A needle is inserted into your skin and muscle, and at this point your muscle will actually involuntarily twitch! I noticed that the better of a trigger point we found, the more twitching would happen. The twitching is a good sign and helps to “reset” your muscle to relieve pain by releasing the chemical buildup in the knot. Knots limit blood flow and create an acidic environment, so once the needle has done its job, your body can now support the healing process! 

TruMove Works!

One of my issues was pain I had in my neck that affected its rotation. I got to the point where checking blind spots in the car was a challenge! We did some before and after measuring and found that after just one dry needling session, my neck rotation improved and after three sessions it was rotating normally! Your physical therapist at TruMove will also work with you to make sure you know the stretches and exercises that will help your body on the road to full healing. They will take the time to do the exercises with you in their gym, and then send you off with videos so you can continue them yourself at home. 

After talking to Ethan about my background, we discovered that I’ve never built up strength after I recovered from pregnancy, mono, and being just too busy to workout. He showed me a variety of simple stretches I can do almost anywhere, and a few exercises that help strengthen my back so that it isn’t under so much stress. 

My neck now rotates normally, my back aches have decreased, and I have strategies I can use to keep my back and neck strong and flexible. I also now know where I can go if I have aches and pains in the future. 

TruMove has thoughtful physical therapists and proven practices that can break your pain cycle.

emilyc
Born and raised in Turner, Emily now lives in Overland Park with her husband Joe (high school English teacher and golf coach) and son Fitzgerald (2). Emily and Joe met in college, but later found out they grew up mere blocks from each other and even had the same kindergarten teacher just one year apart! After 11 years of teaching 2nd, 4th, and 5th grades and K-6 STEM, Emily is now an instructor at the University of St. Mary. She likes to explore old and new spots in Kansas City so Fitz learns to love this great city too! She enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing games, doing jigsaw puzzles, and cheering on the Chiefs and Royals. Emily's current goals: Be more organized, make dinner more often, and read more books just for fun!