Patient Success Stories

Injection therapy helps Amanda back to power lifting without pain

Amanda is an active middle school teacher. She often demonstrates different exercises to her students during her PE classes. One of the recreational activities Amanda enjoys most is power lifting— which in time can take a toll on even the strongest athlete.

After a weight lifting workout earlier this year, Amanda experienced excruciating back pain along with neck pain. It was difficult to even get out of bed the next morning.

Amanda made an appointment with her primary care physician. The doctor soon referred her to Dr. Lee Moroz because of his reputation as a spine specialist. Dr. Moroz ordered an MRI of Amanda’s spine and after viewing the imaging, he explained to Amanda and her husband the spine condition causing the symptoms. Amanda had two herniated discs. A ruptured or herniated disc can cause the nucleus to break through the wall of the disc and place pressure on the nerves that branch out from the spinal cord. Amanda’s pain symptoms were caused by this pressure placed on the nerves.

Dr. Moroz next talked with Amanda about the treatment options. “We were both impressed with Dr. Moroz’s ability to make us feel at ease at a difficult time,” she recalls. Dr. Moroz suggested conservative care first, with an epidural steroid injection.

Epidural injections of cortisone may reduce the inflammation and/or swelling of the nerves in the epidural space resulting in decreased pain, tingling and numbness. One or more injections may be needed to relieve symptoms.

Eager to feel relief from the excruciating pain, she decided to move forward with injection therapy. Amanda noticed immediate pain relief after the injection. She gradually returned to the gym and trained with an Airrosti provider experienced in sports medicine recovery. The focused efforts in the gym were designed to target weaknesses in her spine with the goal of preventing future back strain. She limited her strength training to upper body workouts for a couple months in order to allow her body time to heal and get stronger.

Today, Amanda is pain free and back to powerlifting. “I’m very mindful of my form now as I return to the heavier weights,” Amanda explains. In July, Amanda competed in the Southern Barbelle Classic where she placed 2nd in her weight class and won Best Overall Lifter in the Open division. This performance qualified her for National competition in Las Vegas. “I’m grateful to have Dr. Moroz as my spine specialist and especially appreciate his sports medicine knowledge. I’ll definitely recommend him to others!”

Click here or select the image above to download a PDF of Amanda's experience with Dr. Lee Moroz.

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