AMRAP 20 Minutes:
800m Run
50 KB Swings 53/35
50 AB Mat Sit Ups
My name is Dr. Sandy Bell and I am a local chiropractor in East Sacramento. I grew up in Grass Valley, Ca. where I attended Bear River High School and was a captain of my high school football team as an offensive guard. I then moved to Santa Barbara where I played defensive line and was an honorable mention at 195 pounds. Athletically, it was my strength and speed that allowed me to be successful as an offensive and defensive lineman.
Unfortunately, I was never taught proper mechanics when lifting and although I was able to lift a lot of weight when squatting, bench pressing, and power cleaning, I was unknowingly creating a stress fracture in my lower back at L6. Because I was constantly hyper extending my lower back when loading it with significant weight I ended up with a severe injury that began affecting every aspect of my life. I was also stubborn about having it looked at and figured back pain was just normal for everybody. This was until I had it x-rayed and found out that I had a broken back at my L6-S1 vertebrae. This was a shock to me, but I was glad to finally have an answer.
Dr. Bell’s back.
Normal spine
Because of this injury, I have dealt with sciatica, having my back go out multiple times to the point where I could barely walk or treat my patients.
Everything finally came to a head when I went home one night after a busy day of treating patients and was almost in tears because of the pain and because I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to practice.
I have tried every treatment: chiropractic, active release technique, massage, acupuncture. All of these have helped in some way, but nothing has ever given me lasting relief to the point where I felt like I could get back to being my old self as an athletic person.
Fortunately I was introduced to Justin Riley and CrossFit by a patient of mine. Justin is great because he was willing to take the time to sit down and explain how CrossFit can help both athletically and to decrease chronic pain problems. After about an hour conversation I decided to try some training with him. I was a bit skeptical because in my practice I had generally told people to avoid CrossFit (only because I was naïve and didn’t really know what it is).
After our first week of training I noticed that my back was at least 50% better and when it did tighten up, it didn’t last. Before the training it would get tight and stay that way for days and sometimes weeks. I have now been training for about 12 weeks and am gaining a significant amount of strength in my entire body, have a ton more energy and am even feeling better mentally.
The best thing about the coaching at CF East Sac is that the coaches really know how to teach movements and scale workouts so that even if you are having pain you can make progress. Learning to move properly and developing strategies to address movement dysfunction is the key to recovering form your injuries. Every time I come in with this or that hurting, I actually end up feeling better the next day. Justin has helped me set realistic expectations about gaining strength and athletic ability. It is a process and will not happen overnight, so this is not a get rich quick scheme!
Overall, I would say that hiring a coach specifically is the best move I have ever made for my back. I never thought I would be able to participate in a functional movement program like CrossFit, but through detailed coaching, I am now able to do many things I never thought I could do again including squats and deadlifts. I plan to continue with this process for the foreseeable future, and look forward to making steady progress for a long time.
Dr. Sandy A. Bell, D.C.
