“I SAW A TOP ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEON WHO ADVISED ME THAT I HAD DEGENERATING DISCS IN MY LOWER SPINE (L4 & L5) AND SUGGESTED SURGERY”

I returned to South Africa in 1991, having spent 4 years in the USA on a tennis scholarship playing tennis at first division, college level.  I continued to play Premier League tennis and injured myself on the tennis court in 1992.  I came down hard on my leg, playing a forehand and was unable to stand up straight after that.  I experienced shooting pain in my right leg and was unable to drive a car for some time after the injury.  Sitting and standing was extremely painful.

At that time I saw a top orthopaedic surgeon who advised me that I had degenerating discs in my lower spine (L4 & L5) and suggested surgery.  He said that if I didn’t have surgery it was unlikely that I would be able to play tennis competitively again and that I would be restricted to swimming and cycling as forms of exercise for the rest of my life.

I was terrified at the prospect of surgery, as I was only 22 years old, so I continued to see other practitioners, including physiotherapists, a chiropractor and a kinesiologist, amongst others.  I also had orthotics made for my shoes.  I joined a back rehabilitation class where we did swimming, stretching and strengthening exercises on a regular basis.  A combination of these and other treatments made life more manageable and I wore a back brace to work and whenever I exercised.  I quit playing tennis and took up coaching.

However, I was not pain-free.  I was first treated by Directed Pressure Point Technique in 1993.  After five or six treatments, the pain started to ease and I have never looked back.  I am now able to run and play tennis and exercise more fully that I’d ever imagined possible.  I still experience back pain from time to time, but the Directed Pressure Point Technique always relieves the pain, and I am able to function at an optimal level, without having to succumb to surgery.

JR