Patient Win: Back to Running the Marin Trails Without Fear

A local Bay Area runner recently visited our San Rafael clinic with chronic, sharp lower back pain. They had just received an MRI showing a disc bulge and were terrified that their trail running days were over.

The Assessment I immediately shared the data with them: up to 80% of healthy 50-year-olds with zero back pain walk around with disc bulges every day. Your scan doesn't dictate your future.

Instead of treating the MRI, we became movement detectives. We mapped out their daily activities into Green, Neutral, and Red zones. We discovered that their pain only flared up during specific "flexion" movements like sitting at their desk all day, but they felt amazing during "extension" movements like standing and walking.

The Win We found their mechanical commonality. By adjusting their workday to avoid prolonged flexion (neutralizing the Red Zone) and incorporating more extension-based exercises (emulating the Green Zone), their symptoms vanished. Last weekend, they successfully completed a 10-mile trail run through Marin County, entirely pain-free.

Ready to perform again? Book your Strategy Call.