About Katie
Back Pain? Been there!
You may feel like pain has robbed you of the moments you enjoy most in life. You may be at your wits end trying to find the THING that’s going to make it easier to move, sleep, and fully step into living. You might have difficulty integrating your PT exercises and self-care with the other demands on your time. You may feel exhausted, depressed, and worried things will never get better. Oof! I’ve been there!
I have had over 22 years of chronic back pain which began with a herniated disc the summer before my junior year in college. Of course, at first, I just thought I “pulled something.” I was just 20 years old, physically active, and in the prime of my life.
I spent my junior year abroad in Europe attending classes standing up and lying down. Many nights I slept on the floor because the bed was too soft. It sucked! But I was in Europe so I wanted to stay. I got medical treatment in the way of painkillers in Italy and cortisone injections and even a big bulky plastic back brace in England.
Upon return home, a year after the initial injury, seeing no other alternative, I had surgery on my herniated L5, S1 disc. Many of you may have the same diagnosis. I spent the first month of my last year of college recovering on Vicodin.
I’d like to say that my journey ended there, but it didn’t.
The sciatic pain I was experiencing was gone, but I had developed some holding patterns and additional disc herniations in my thoracic spine that still caused me pain.
Like you, I worried that the pain would never go away and I’d be bed bound by age 40. Something inside me was unwilling to accept that fate and I spent the next 20+ years doing everything I could to get out of pain.
You name it, I have tried it! Seriously!
Some of you might be in the same boat, trying anything you can, desperate for relief and a dwindling bank account to boot.
It took me a really long time to figure out the key factors that worked for me. I am happy to say that I have been able to reduce my pain level by over 70% from where it was at the height.
I discovered there are a few different spokes to approaching my pain:
- Structural, which includes posture, soft tissues, nerves, etc.
- Chemical, which can be attributed to widespread inflammation and imbalances in other nutritional elements
- Emotional, unreleased and stuck emotions held physically by the body, including the fear of re-injury or fear of the pain itself.
Attending to all spokes of this wheel was key for me in my healing and pain reduction. For me, this included getting the right kind of bodywork and doing a lot of work on my own body daily, eating a nutrient dense, anti-inflammatory diet, Reducing my stress through meditation and the ways I organize my time, and dealing with trapped emotions, “small t” traumas, and general limiting beliefs.
My passion now is to help you do the same. Navigating this path was a lonely and difficult process and I would have loved a guide to help me on the way. That’s who I aim to be. You are the expert on your own body, whether you know it or not. Sometimes it takes some assistance by someone who is fully in your corner to see that.
With my help you can learn to navigate your road to healing by:
- Finding clarity around what works for you
- Helping you gain control over your treatment and creating self advocacy with your care providers
- Working through the physical/emotional connection
- Listening to the body to reveal what it needs
- Re-learning how to move with control and ease
- Finding self-care routines that work for you and your body
- Recognizing the triggers that cause flare-ups
Nobody’s path toward healing looks the same. I will help you customize your own path in a way that works for you. You deserve to live a happier, healthier life with less pain. I can help you get there.
Katie is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, a proud mother of a 12 year old, a creator of theatre, an outdoor enthusiast, meditation practitioner, and an avid sauna goer.