SO BEGAN THE JOURNEY
Stories and memories more than ten years old are entitled to begin: “Once Upon a Time”. And so it was, in this instance: getting ready for morning office hours, dressing with a long sleeved shirt, and struggling unsuccessfully to get my arm into the sleeve, my previously caring wife announced: I’m through helping you get dressed-and by the way, you have an appointment tomorrow morning at the gym with a trainer-no excuses, no begging off-“DONE, FINAL, PERIOD!’ I followed the command and the following morning I was introduced to Trainer Bob.
Being a well educated, experienced and successful primary care physician, I knew I had all of the answers including diagnoses and solutions, but my results were not well validated given my honest status and a long rap sheet of assorted and accumulated musculoskeletal injuries and their toll, added to the chronological impact of 75 years on the planet. Forty years of jogging daily on hard surfaces had pretty much shut down that activity. The knees were talking back. Three simultaneously blown lumbar discs piled on some degenerative lumbar spine arthritis reaffirmed that change. The most recent calamity was a shredded supraspinatus rotator cuff tendon (suffered when I thoughtfully flung my wife’s seventy plus pounds suitcase, unassisted, into an airport bus). And sweet wife’s Fiat was the thanks I got for that favor.
Where to begin. It had to be the tendon issue. But some simultaneous general conditioning deserved priority too. I was, to put it honestly a ‘train wreck’. validated when an early exercise training session nudged me into a slightly hypoglycemic, hypotensive near faint. Lying quietly on the floor I was introduced to the no nonsense style and attitude of my new friend BOB. He unsympathetically barked: You obviously didn’t eat any breakfast. Do not expect to come here and work-out on fumes! First change: eat a hearty breakfast-succinctly translated: physician, heal thyself!
So began the journey, now ten years duration, of consistent twice weekly, continuing, very rarely missed sessions that transformed and now maintains me as a more active, safer, more comfortable and fit nonagenarion. The commitment has paid off. It is certain that I avoided at least several surgical remedies that might otherwise have been pursed.
The story does not end there. I learned very quickly that BOB is not an ordinary or run of the mill trainer-from observation of many other trainers at work. His knowledge of exercise physiology, anatomy, functions, mechanics, precautions, limits, of exercise and training are consistently applied, with intense, focused observations throughout training sessions, I have also witnessed a large variety of customer problems and goals he has translated into successes.
The sequel: My supraspinatus tendon injury treatment was very successful with full range of motion restored (unassisted dressing), but with ongoing maintenance activity. Concentration on building and maintaining ‘Core Strength’, and general strength keeps my back comfortable and my balance and agility in excellent condition.
E.J. SHELDON GENERAL SURGEON