Susan Henson, 45, had lost 85 pounds and competed in her first Spartan Race, surmounting distance and obstacles, by the end of 2017. The local grandmother wanted to race again, but she had back pain so severe she could barely walk.
The back pain came from an injury she had as a teenager.
Chiropractors and orthopedic doctors offered no relief. She was about to give up racing when friends told her about Excel Rehab and Sports. She paid the physical therapists a visit, and after three months of rehabilitative therapy, she says her condition has improved.
Similar help could be useful to novice athletes now a month into their New Year's fitness goals, according to local physical therapists. Physical therapy, practitioners say, can help people not only deal with their pain but avoid injury going in.
Henson's therapy included a combination of hands-on manual therapy, stretching, exercise and education, according to staff at the center.
"Whether it's running through mud or picking up your grandchild, you should be able to do what you want to do," says David Brackett, clinical director. "That's what we're passionate about - getting people so that they can do that."
Henson explains that Spartan Races includes running through mud, carrying a bucket of rocks, climbing rope walls and crawling under wire.
"It's like a mud run on steroids," says Brackett.
Henson, who's now working out five days a week, credits therapy with getting her back on her feet.
"I'm back at it, feeling so much better and hoping to get back to my racing," she says. "I'm back to all of my workouts."
Jason Therrien, a local doctor of physical therapy with Chattanooga Physical Therapy, specializes in treating difficult cases of persistent pain. He advises fitness buffs that they can be "sore and still be safe," but says intense pain should not be ignored.
"One rule of thumb is: You can poke the bear, just don't wake him up," Therrien says.
Intense pain could indicate an injury, he says.
The motto "no pain, no gain" is popular, but it's a misconception, said Kyle Johnston, manager at Forte Fitness on the North Shore. There's a difference between soreness and pain, he says.
Pain is sharp, and it prevents movement. Soreness isn't as severe, and it usually starts feeling better once you start moving, said Brackett.
Jeremy Shook, president of Excel Rehab and Sports, says it's important to determine what is normal soreness and what is a movement dysfunction. His office gives a free screening to determine how staff may help potential customers.
Therapists may suggest how painful exercises may be modified. Therapists also can help determine when there is joint damage and recommend a physician.
Unfortunately, pain is among the top reasons why people stop exercising, says Shook.
"They don't seek help, and that results in them dropping out of the resolution and just going back to their old lifestyle in a matter of weeks," he says.
A lot of people don't realize they can get the help of a physical therapist just by going into an office straight off the street, says Brackett. They anticipate having to get an appointment with the doctor, getting an expensive imaging order and getting referred to see a specialist before seeing a therapist.
But they can avoid that time and expense by coming in for a free screening and evaluation. A person's solution to pain could be as easy as modifying an exercise, says Brackett.
Customers aren't required to have a doctor's referral when visiting a physical therapist in Tennessee, and most insurances cover physical therapy, says Shook.
Henson says she'd been to other chiropractors and doctors before hearing about Excel, but it was to no avail.
"Nobody truly listened to what the problem was and what my limits were until I came here," she says.
Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.